DHARMAPURI: The protest condemning the survey for the GAIL pipeline project in Dharmapuri intensified on Wednesday after a 43-year-old farmer, who stood to lose his land, allegedly died by suicide.
Over the past few weeks, GAIL Ltd has been undertaking surveys across the district for its proposed pipeline. A survey was conducted at Palavadi village recently. However, the farmers protested, after which police and revenue officials promised that work would be suspended.
However, the survey continued on Wednesday, enraging farmers. Nearly 50 farmers gathered at Palavadi and protested. Among them was Ganeshan. He had been protesting against the survey of farmland for the past two days.
On Wednesday, Ganeshan excused himself from the protest, and an hour later, was found dead on his land at Kariyanahalli. His family said he took the extreme step instead of parting with his one acre of land.
As news of the death spread, farmers protested at Kariyanahalli village. Later, they carried Ganeshan’s body to Chekkarapatti near Indur and blocked the Dharmapuri-Pennagaram road. Sub-Collector Chitra Vijayan and SP C Kalaiselvan held talks with the protesters, and after more than five hours, the protest was called off. About 150 police personnel were deployed in Chekkarapatti.
Dilli Babu, State secretary of AIKS, said, “The government must pay compensation for the death of Ganeshan. Further, the GAIL project must be stopped immediately. Bringing this pipeline into cultivation lands is unacceptable.”
Collector S Divyadarshini said, “The survey was proposed in seven locations. So far, surveys were completed without any issues in four places. This survey was supposed to only be undertaken on government land and not in private fields. We have communicated this to the farmers via VAO, GAIL staff and other revenue officials”
Sources said Ganeshan’s family met the Collector in the evening and she promised that an eligible member would be given a government job, and solatium from the chief minister’s relief fund. The pipeline will not be allowed to pass through farmlands, and GAIL would be held accountable for Ganeshan’s death, she added, and said GAIL would issue a separate solatium to the family.
(Assistance for those having suicidal thoughts is available on TN’s health helpline 104 and Sneha’s helpline 044-24640050)