Farmers demand Madurai district be declared drought-hit

Farmers in Madurai district demanded that the district be declared drought-hit. They complained that agricultural activities had been affected due to the failure to release water from the Vaigai dam, at the farmers’ grievance redress meeting held at the Madurai Collectorate on Wednesday.

At the meeting presided over by Madurai Collector Nishant Krishna, the farmers urged the authorities to provide appropriate compensation for the crop loss.

Pointing to the long-pending demand, the farmers urged the authorities to take steps to restart the National Cooperative Sugar Mills in Alanganallur. Restarting the sugar mill would benefit sugarcane farmers of Madurai and the neighbouring districts, the farmers said.

The farmers opposed the proposed rough stone and gravel quarry in Thenpazhanji. They complained that water channels in the area had been encroached upon. This affected agricultural activities in the region. They said the people were suffering from health issues due to existing quarrying operations. Heavy trucks carrying tonnes of minerals posed a threat to the people and the roads in the area.

A section of farmers said a retaining wall was constructed to prevent the discharge of sewage into a water canal that connected to the Madakulam tank. This wall had been breached in Achampathu. Farmers urged the authorities to take necessary steps to prevent the discharge of sewage into the tank. A similar complaint had been raised earlier. However, no action had been taken, the farmers complained.

Farmers also raised complaints with regard to delayed crop insurance payments, particularly for maize. Issues pertaining to crop loan waiver were also raised during the meeting. They said workers under the MGNREGA scheme could also be employed for agricultural work.

Some of the other issues raised at the meeting were with regard to the removal of Seemai Karuvelam (Prosopis juliflora). They complained that wild animals were destroying crops and urged the authorities to take necessary steps to protect the livelihood of the farmers.