PMK founder Dr. Ramadoss on Friday criticised the State government’s actions against the farmers of Kongu region where the administration is trying to acquire land to erect towers carrying high tension cables. Dr. Ramadoss said that the cables should be buried.
In a statement, Dr. Ramadoss said that the State, which should be helping its farmers, is trying to take agricultural lands out of their hands.
“Tamil Nadu gets much of its electricity from the Central share and private power plants in other states. The towers connecting high tension cables are being erected across Tamil Nadu to bring electricity. Around 16 high-tension cable-ways are being constructed. Majority of it is passing through agricultural lands in Coimbatore, Tiruppur, Erode, Karur, Namakkal, Salem, Dindigul, Dharmapuri and Krishnagiri etc. The farmers are struggling due to this,” said Dr. Ramadoss.
“Farmers have organised themselves and protested against this. As a result, the tower building exercise was stopped. The rule says that the district collector should give consent to enter agricultural lands,” said Dr. Ramadoss, adding, “The ‘power grid’ didn't respect this rule and entered the agricultural lands with the help of the police and drove the farmers away. This is against the law.”
He said that the cables should be laid underground and the interests of the farmers safeguarded.
