More than 5,000 rig units of Salem and Namakkal districts, along with a large number of workers, are stranded in the North Indian states, thanks to the recent torrential rainfall which caused severe damage to the standing crops.
The stranded rigs and workers have started moving towards Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh to sink borewells for farm activities and for solving drinking water problem in summer.
The North Indian states of Maharashtra, Punjab, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh experienced heavy rainfall in the first week of March.
Off-season
The off-season rainfall severely damaged the standing crops of wheat, onion, sugarcane, grapes, channa, and dal varieties.
The farmers had the practice of sinking borewells for the fresh farm season which commences during the summer.
With farmers suffering heavy financial loss, it is unlikely that the rig units would get fresh orders for the next crop season.
As a result, the rig units of Attur in Salem district and Tiruchengode in Namakkal district, along with the workers, have been rendered jobless for the past one month.
At least 18 workers such as drivers, drillers, and cooks are attached to each rig unit.
“The rigs of Tamil Nadu have no work for the past one month. Remaining idle will further hit the rig owners financially. We have started moving towards Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh where the works of sinking borewells for both farm and drinking water are in full swing,” says S. Sivakumar, employed as manager with Venkateswara Borewells, Attur, who returned from Chhattisgarh by the end of February.
Stringent laws
The State Government has enacted stringent laws to check the sinking of borewells without permission in both urban and rural areas. Those sinking borewells without permission will be punished with jail term up to seven years.
Due to the stringent norms, the work of sinking of borewells has almost come to a standstill, Mr. Sivakumar says and urges with the Government to withdraw the same.
This will enable regular job for the rig workers in Tamil Nadu itself, he adds.
