MADURAI
The 13-year-old struggle by farmers of three villages – Karisalkalampatti, Sivarakottai and Swamimallampatti – near Tirumangalam to retain their agricultural lands that were acquired for setting up SIPCOT industrial park has finally fructified after the Department of Industries dropped the plan.
A Government Order, dated December 21, issued by Principal Secretary, Department of Industries, dropping the scheme comes after the district administration declared that the entire 588.57.87 hectares of lands in the villages were cultivable and their acquisition would directly affect farmers.
“It is a huge victory for all the farmers who have sustained the protest all these years,” said president of Madurai District Farmers Association M. Ramalingam, who had spear-headed the protest.
The farmers’ contention was that though deprived of irrigation facility, the fertile lands were the major source for minor millets. “The black soil of the area with high water-holding capacity in the rain-fed fields helped the farmers grow minor millets, pulses and cotton,” said former Joint Director of Agriculture A. Jeyasingh Gnanadurai.
Even when the farmlands under double crop area of Periyar-Vaigai irrigation system had remained bone dry for months together without adequate storage in reservoirs, the farmlands in these three villages had vast tracts of greenery. “The farmers were able to grow their crops even with sparse rainfall,” he added.
The problem started with the government in 2007 planning to acquire around 5,500 acres of lands in Tirumangalam taluk. However, it gave up the plan partially and dropped the lands in Vellakulam, Kalligudi and Kengampatti. Subsequently, it also left out 1,000 acres of lands in Sengapadai.
In 2009, it issued a G.O. on acquiring 1,478.71 acres of lands in Sivarakottai, Karisalkalampatti and Swamimallampatti.
“We were growing 22 varieties of millets and pulses and cotton almost throughout the year,” Mr. Ramalingam said. “The government incurred no additional burden on account of free power to the farmers,” he said.
The fodder acquired from the crops helped the farmers raise at least two lakh goats/sheep and around 500 milch animals. Besides, the farmlands were home for innumerable wild animals, like spotted deer, wild boars, peacocks and wild cats.
The farmers claimed that officials misguided the Madurai Bench of Madras High Court on government’s plan and subsequently they had to go to the Supreme Court.
Meanwhile, Jayalalithaa, then the leader of the opposition, had vowed to return the lands to the farmers upon coming to power in 2011. However, the issue was put in the back burner though during every election to the Parliament and Assembly, the AIADMK promised to keep its words.
The G.O. now said there was no need for an industrial park at Sivarakottai as one was already functioning 10 km away in Kappalur and another was in the pipeline 45 km away in Sattur.
The district administration finally acknowledged that several resolutions were passed against land acquisition at grama sabha meetings. Based on the Collector’s report, the Commissioner of Land Administration recommended dropping of land acquisition and cancellation of administrative sanction for the industrial park.
The farmers thanked Revenue Minister R.B. Udhayakumar, who is also the MLA of Tirumangalam Assembly constituency under which the three villages fall, for taking efforts to retrieve their farmlands.
