CUDDALORE: A picketing agitation by Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) party members protesting against the acquisition of farmlands by Neyveli Lignite Corporation (NLC) on Friday turned violent after police detained their party leader Dr Anbumani Ramadoss for attempting to enter the company's premises at the Arch gate.
Terming the agitation by "some outsiders" as politically motivated, Tamil Nadu Finance Minister Thangam Thennarasu said the farmers have been assured of enhanced compensation for providing their lands to NLCIL.
"The government would be providing Rs 75 crore to about 1,088 land owners who gave their lands. In addition, the government has assured that NLC would provide Rs 30,000 per acre as compensation to the ryots who had raised the crop," the minister told reporters.
Today's agitation by a party had left 20 persons injured. Such protests by outsiders would only derail the government's efforts in ensuring a smooth negotiation with the landowners, Thennarasu said and claimed that any setback for NLC would lead to a critical situation wherein power generation will be affected.
"We will not get uninterrupted power supply if the generation at NLC is affected," Thennarasu said.
Scores of PMK cadres swarmed in front of the police vehicle in a bid to prevent Anbumani, a former union minister, from being taken away by the police.
The situation went out of control when instead of heeding police advice to disperse, a section of the party members allegedly pelted stones injuring a police inspector, a senior police official said.
As they continued to relentlessly agitate, the police had to spray water cannons, fire tear gas shells and use mild force to disperse them, the senior police official added.
A huge crowd had gathered for the protest, at which there was also a demand to NLCIL to give up its expansion plans.
The gathering also condemned the state government for acquiring wetlands for the enterprise.
The cadres, incensed over the detention of their leader reportedly damaged a police vehicle.
Anbumani, however, claimed the protest was held in a peaceful manner and that some of his party members were injured when police resorted to a baton charge.
After addressing party members, Anbumani accompanied by his supporters tried to enter NLC but was stopped by the police.
This led to a scuffle between the crowd and the police.
Farmers in the district have been agitating for the past few days when earth movers were employed to destroy the standing paddy crop on the fields meant to be acquired for NLC.
A senior official at the Navaratna company, however, claimed that no new land was being acquired at present and that the company was only involved in canal diversion work to prevent inundation in NLC's mines.
On Wednesday, amidst protests by farmers and some political parties, the NLC took up construction of an alternative canal for the Paravanaru River in Bhuvanagiri taluk, with sufficient police protection, to safeguard its mines from flooding during monsoon.
The Cuddalore district administration had already informed the farmers about the NLCIL work in advance and advised the ryots to refrain from cultivating on the said lands, the company said.