THENI/MADURAI: Ministers I Periyasamy and P Moorthy released water from Vaigai Dam on Friday for the first time this year, in the presence of Madurai district collector MS Sangeetha, Theni district collector RV Shajeevana and Dindigul district collector MN Poongodi. About 900 cusecs of water will be released each day for 120 days.
The released water would be used to irrigate 45,041 acres of agricultural land, which depends on Periyar canal irrigation in three districts. A total of 1,797 acres of agricultural land in Dindigul, 16,452 acres of Vadipatti taluk and 26,792 acres of land in Madurai north will get water.
Condemning the release of Vaigai water only to double crop season farmers, single crop season farmers from Melur and Thirumangalam said they have been discriminated against by the government. Cultivation areas under the Periyar canal are divided into three types: Double crops season (farmers who are involved in both Samba and Kuruvai seasons), which is about 45,000 acres, single crop season (farmers who are involved only in the Samba season), which is about 85,000 acres and farmers under Thirumangalam canal which is about 1,950 acres. A meeting regarding the release of the water in October was postponed after farmers from all three areas demanded the release of water for their particular areas.
Kurunji Kumaran, a single crop season farmer from Melur, said, "We have been fooled despite submitting petitions and staging protests. Water has been released for double-crop farmers and not us. This year's cultivation in our areas may come to an abrupt stoppage as a result. Following a meeting, we will announce our next stage of protest."
MP Raman, leader of the Vaigai-Thirumangalam Canal Farmers Association, said there is no Deepavali for single-crop season farmers this year. "We will be staging protests against the state government for showing partiality. We suspect political intervention regarding the decision as all areas such as Thirumangalam, Thiruparagundram and Melur have AIADMK MLAs," he added.