TN must return unused BU land to farmers in case of fund crunch: CPM

He said the court directed the state government to give Rs 600 crore with interest to the farmers.

Around 300 farmers, whose lands were acquired by the state government in 1982 for the establishment of Bharathiar University, staged a sit-in protest in front of the collector's office (Photo|www.b-u.ac.in)

COIMBATORE: If the state government is facing a fund crunch, it should return the unused Bharathiar University land to the farmers, said CPI (M) state secretary P Shanmugam here, on Monday.

Around 300 farmers, whose lands were acquired by the state government in 1982 for the establishment of Bharathiar University, staged a sit-in protest in front of the collector's office, demanding the disbursal of adequate compensation as per the court's direction.

The protest, led by Shanmugam, also saw the participation of the members of Tamizhaga Vivasayigal Sangam. Shanmugam told media persons that in order to establish the university, farmers gave their lands, essential for their livelihood, considering the educational purpose.

"As the government had fixed a low compensation for acquiring the land, farmers moved the court seeking fair compensation. Finally, in November 2022, the Madras High Court gave a fair judgment in favour of the farmers," he said.

He said the court directed the state government to give Rs 600 crore with interest to the farmers.

"In January 2023, we met former higher education minister K Ponmudy to request that the amount be released. He said his department did not have sufficient funds. The next day, we met Chief Minister MK Stalin to push for the court's direction to be implemented," he said.

Shanmugam alleged that even after three years, the state government had not taken any action. "If the state government is facing a heavy financial crisis, it should return the unused land to the concerned farmers, except for what has already been used.

Of 928 acres, around 300-400 acres were used for Bharathiar University. The value of the vacant land runs into several crores. Therefore, the state government should either give compensation as per court direction or return the land to the farmers," he said.

Sources said Minister for Public Works EV Velu called Shanmugam by phone and assured to arrange a meeting within two days. Following this, the protest ended. Farmers later cleaned up the area where waste had been dumped due to the protest.