VILLUPURAM:A 57-year-old farmer on Friday threatened to commit suicide, along with his family, in front of the Collectorate here, if immediate action was not taken to grant them the compensation for the land confiscated by the Revenue Department three decades ago.
Sources said the farmer, Nallathambi of Puthupalapattu village near Sankarapuram had attempted suicide in front of the Villupuram Collectorate over the issue on April 3, 2012.
In 1983, he bought one acre and five cents of land from Natesan of the same village. The following year, the Revenue Department took over the land from him to be distributed to the Adi Dravidar community people. Nallathambi refused to give the land and filed a case in a Villupuram court.
The court, in 1990, issued an order in favour of the Revenue Department, but asked it to pay the market value of the land to Nallathambi.
The officials, who distributed the land to various Adi Dravidar community beneficiaries, did not pay the sum.
Even after petitioning the CM, Collector, District Revenue Officer and Sankarapuram Tahsildar regarding the issue, Nallathambi did not get any compensation.
Irked by this, he tried to commit suicide by setting himself afire in front of the district collectorate on April 3, 2012. The officials had stopped him and the then Collector promised Nallathambi of action on his compensation. But even after three years, nothing was done.
So, on Friday, Nallathambi informed media persons that he and his family members would end their lives before the Collectorate.