IDUKKI: It’s hard to miss CCTV cameras keeping watch at traffic junctions, shopping malls and busy marketplaces, but in Marayur, they are keeping vigil at plantations as well.Since harvesting is underway, more and more farmers in Marayur are installing CCTV cameras at arecanut, banana and vegetable plantations in a bid to keep thieves at bay. Last season, intruders stole crops worth lakhs of rupees. Even though complaints piled up at police stations, only a couple of burglars were caught. When barbed wires and concrete walls topped with glass shards failed to prevent thefts, the farmers set up CCTV cameras as a last resort.
According to Marayur farmer Anu Varghese, procurers place bids not for the crop after it is harvested, but for the plantation as a whole during the crop-bearing time. So, in case of lost crops, the farmers have to bear heavy losses. “Besides, the procurers are hesitant to bid for crops in such plantations fearing a loss,” said Varghese, who has installed CCTV cameras at his arecanut plantation. “We are confident this time. I doubt the thieves are stupid enough to do it again, but it will be great to catch them.”
Varghese said his cameras have already caught several trespassers. He has handed over the footage to the police and conservation officers for further investigation. Farmers are also posting no trespassing signs along the boundary walls, something they rarely did in the past. The average cost of setting up CCTV cameras is Rs 1 lakh. But the farmers said they are not bothered about the cost.