Farmers suspect that groundwork has started to withdraw free power
The Hindu
Tamil Nadu farmers concerned over potential withdrawal of free power for agriculture, officials face criticism at grievance meeting.
The Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation’s reported inspection of motors fitted in free farm power connections and their horsepower has raised suspicion among farmers that the State government has started preliminary work on withdrawing free power to agriculture by fitting meters.
Raising the issue in the farmers’ grievance redress meeting held at the Collectorate on Friday, P. Perumbadaiyar, vice-president of Tamil Nadu Vivasayigal Sangam, said, “The farmers firmly believe that the Tamil Nadu government has started working on repealing free power to farmers who are carrying on agricultural operations despite monsoon vagaries and skyrocketing prices of agricultural inputs. We want the district administration to share with the government the farmers’ demand of continuing free power.”
Since continuing free power for farm sector or rescinding it are policy decisions of the government, neither the Collector, K.P. Karthikeyan, nor Tangedco officials gave any reply.
Farmer D. Abraham of Kanarpatti near Manur appealed to the Collector to give compensation for crop damage caused by the unseasonal summer rains.
When farmers said water in Vellappanaeri tank could not be stored due to broken down shutters, Mr. Karthikeyan asked the Public Works Department officials from Chittar Basin to give reason behind the delay in repairing the shutters. As the officials could not give any reply, the Collector censured them and the officials representing a few other departments also faced the Collector’s wrath as they had also come to the meeting without details about the problems raised by the farmers.
“It is really disappointing and earning bad name for the administration. Hence, these officials should come prepared for the next meeting with proper replies to questions raised by the farmers in this meeting. Only after the questions raised today are answered will the questions for the next meeting will be taken up for discussion. Whenever the officials give false reply or promise, we have to crosscheck the genuineness of these answers. If you make a promise in the meeting, the official concerned should be able to give other allied information also for the satisfaction of the farmers,” Mr. Karthikeyan said.
The officials said 17.59 km-long irrigation channels under Hanuman Nadhi in Vadakkankulam and 60.90 Km-long minor branching channels under Radhapuram Channel had been desilted. Moreover, Radhapuram Channel had been desilted for about 17.68 km, the officials said.