THOOTHUKUDI: Urging the state government to provide a compensation of Rs 25,000 per acre for the crops damaged during the widespread rains in the district on December 12 and 13, Kovilpatti MLA and former minister Kadambur C Raju submitted a petition with District Collector K Elambahavath here on Thursday.
In his petition, Raju claimed that over 30 cm of rainfall was recorded in the district on the intervening nights of December 12 and December 13, damaging crops on over 3 lakh hectares of land in Kovilpatti, Kayathar, Ottapidaram, Vilathikulam and Pudur blocks, due to waterlogging and rainwater stagnation.
Over 1.5 lakh hectares of maize crops and another 1.5 lakh hectares of green gram, black gram, sesame, chilly and cotton were damaged. The yield of the crops, which were in the reaping stage, had begun to germinate before harvesting them due to the rains. This has added to the loss of farmers, who already face challenges of crop damage due to pig and deer menace, he said.
The MLA further urged the collector to recommend to declare the rain in the district as a natural disaster, and provide a compensation of Rs 25,000 per acre to the farmers.
Meanwhile, AIADMK north district secretary Kadambur Raju told the press that the crop damage in the rain fed region such as Vilathikulam and Pudur has been recurring due to extreme weather conditions. Though the issue of crop damage by wild animals was raised in the Assembly, no response was given from the state. The crop damage in the recent rains will be taken to the attention of the leader of opposition and raised in the Assembly on January 6, he added.