RAMANATHAPURAM: Alleging that more than 57 revenue villages in RS Mangalam and Thiruvadanai blocks have not been provided with any insurance for the crop damages, as many as 200 farmers laid siege to the collectorate during the agriculture grievances meeting on Friday.
Following the meeting, farmers said they would boycott elections if authorities remained silent on the issues. M Gavasker, organiser of the RS Mangalam and Thiruvadanai Farmers Association, said, "Thousands of farmers from 57 villages in RS Mangalam and Thiruvadanai have not received a single penny through crop insurance. Officials are saying that recommendations have been sent only for reconsidering nine villages in these two blocks." He added that they will continue to stage protests until all farmers get crop insurance.
Several other farmers also submitted a petition stating that the company has also labelled villages in other blocks as 'zero claim' villages, adding that the district administration should reconsider all villages for crop insurance.
A senior official from the district told TNIE, "Around 105 villages cannot claim the insurance as they have achieved a threshold limit (average 5 years of harvest). Around 39 villages will be reconsidered by the companies and farmers will get crop insurance."
During the grievance meeting, MSK Bakkianathan, president of Tamil Nadu Vaigai Irrigation Farmers Association, submitted a petition seeking the disbursement of crop insurance money for the chilli crop damage which was incurred in 2020- 21 season due to heavy rainfall. Farmers from Theriruveli, Thaliyarendhal, and Aathangkothankudi village are yet to get it. The district administration should organise a loan mela for the welfare of farmers, and the state government should work to complete the Cauvery- Vaigai- Gundar River linking the project to address the irrigation woes of southern districts.
Farmers also sought the clearing of Seemai Karuvelam trees in water bodies, preventing sewage mixing in the Vaigai River among other issues. District collector Vishnu Chandran assured to take action.