ARIYALUR: Residents in several villages of the district have raised concerns about the poor state of maintenance of vermicompost units, citing that they haven't been operational for many years and their sheds have been damaged.
Vermicomposting units were established in 2017 in all panchayats in Ariyalur under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) in order to promote organic farming. Each unit was set up at a cost of Rs 1 lakh.
The scheme aimed at converting biodegradable waste collected in panchayats into compost and giving them away to farmers. The liquid fertiliser produced during the composting stage would be used on the saplings planted in each panchayat.
While the schemes were well received initially, the units in most panchayats including Kandiratheertham, Thirumanur, Elandakudam, Manjamedu, Annimangalam, Palayapadi and Thirumalapadi became non-functional within a few months. Despite complaints rising from residents and farmers in the area, no action has yet been taken by the authorities concerned.
Speaking to TNIE, N Baskar, a resident of Kandiratheertham said, "The vermicompost shed in our area did not function properly for even 10 days. Not once have the authorities produced earthworms and used them here. It is up to the panchayats to ensure their functioning but they are not interested.
The money spent on this shed was a waste." "This project will provide us with wonderful natural fertiliser, and organic manure can protect natural fertility of the soil. It will also be a source of revenue for the panchayat, and farmers can avail of organic manure at low prices.
This will benefit the farmers and promote organic farming," he added. S Thirunavukarasu, a resident from Palayapadi said, "Saplings are being planted under various schemes in panchayats across the district to promote tree planting. By making the compost units functional, fertilizers produced here can be used for tree planting.
So the authorities should restore this good scheme and renovate the damaged units and implement it properly." When contacted, a senior official from Ariyalur District Rural Development Agency said, "The units work only in a few panchayats. Self-help groups are supposed to maintain it but they do not notice it. However, we have decided to renovate them and are taking action.