Sugarcane farmers urge price hike, villagers petition against STPs in Salem

Petitions seek higher sugarcane prices and oppose sewage treatment plants in Salem; residents express concerns about contaminated water.

Monday’s grievances redressal meeting at the Salem Collectorate saw petitions seeking an increase in the procurement price of sugarcane and against the setting up of sewage treatment plants in Edaganasalai.

A petition by members of the Tamil Nadu Iyarkai Vivasayigal Munnetra Sangam to District Collector R. Brindha Devi expressed concerns about the low prices for paddy and sugarcane, which caused farmers to suffer losses. The petition also highlighted the impact of increasing prices for manure and labour and called on the government to raise the procurement price for paddy to ₹3,500 per quintal and sugarcane to ₹5,000 per tonne in the upcoming agriculture budget. The farmers’ body also urged the government to sell coconut oil and groundnut oil in fair price shops to support the livelihoods of coconut and groundnut farmers.

Meanwhile, residents of Edaganasalai municipality arrived at the Collectorate with bottles of contaminated water. According to the residents, more than 1,500 families reside in the municipality, and the municipal administration is working towards setting up two sewage treatment plants (STPs) at Sathampalayam Chinnayeri locality. However, the locality already has a solid waste management plant, a micro composting centre and an electric crematorium in operation, which has been polluting the groundwater.

In September 2023, a petition was already submitted to the municipality against the setting up of STPs and talks were held with municipal officials, during which they registered their objection. But the municipality, with no announcement, began work on STPs on January 31, 2024, but residents intervened and stopped the work. So the district administration should inquire and not allow STPs in the locality, the residents added.