DHARMAPURI: Farmers visiting the Marandahalli Veterinary dispensary urged the Animal husbandry department to take steps for a new building.
The Marandahalli Veterinary dispensary is one of the key treatment centres for livestock in Palacode. On an average day hundreds of farmers bring their cattles, goats, sheep and pet animals here seeking treatment and necessary vaccinations. It is primarily used by the residents in the local villages of Seedipettam, Sevathankottai, Samanur, Kallagaram, Chikkamarandahalli and other villages in the area. This veterinary dispensary was built nearly 38 years ago and now the building is severely dilapidated. Farmers said the patches of the roof of the dispensary had fallen off and there are deep cracks on the walls, which might soon collapse.
S Chinnasamy from Marandahalli said, "The veterinary dispensary was built back in 1988-89 and has been in regular usage for the past 38 years. The building is in a severe state of neglect, with the windows and doors broken and the area where we fasten the cattle before treatment is rusted and the patches of roof are falling off."
B Prasanth from Samanur said, "Using the building is a safety risk. During monsoon, water seeps into the walls of the veterinary dispensary and there is a risk of collapse. For the past five years, we have been filing repeated petitions with the administration, the Animal husbandry department and the CM cell seeking a new building. But so far no action has been taken."
When TNIE reached out to officials in the Animal Husbandry department they said, "We have already sent a request to the state government for a new building nearly a year ago , we are awaiting sanctions for a new building. We expect a reply in the upcoming months. The new building will be constructed nearby to ensure that farmers can easily access it. We urge them to be patient."
