Farm lands will be protected from getting affected by stone quarries: Collector

Collector K N Poongodi chaired a farmers' grievance meeting, responding to complaints of stone quarry operations affecting farm lands. A committee was formed to inspect the spot and take action against violators. Crop loans valued at ₹168 crore were distributed and a cold storage facility was ready for inauguration. Farmers also raised issues of police stopping vehicles and oscillating prices, to which the Collector promised to look into. She also promised to remove encroachments of water bodies.

Farm lands would be protected from getting affected by operation of stone quarries, said Collector K N Poongodi here on Friday.

Chairing the farmers’ grievance redress meeting, the Collector was responding to a complaint from a section of farmers from Viruveedu at the last month’s meeting. The farmers had complained that an explosives godown, a stone quarry and stone crusher unit were functioning close to the Thottipaalam where pipelines carried water for irrigation under 58-canal scheme. “Continued bursting of explosives may damage or weaken the concrete pillars and over a period of time the dust from the unit will settle on agricultural fields and affect the yield,” they said.

The Collector said that she had formed a committee comprising officials of various departments to inspect the spot and submit a report. The inspection had been completed and as and when the reports were submitted, action would be taken against the violators, she said.

A group of farmers from Thathamkottai near Reddiyarchatram pointed out violations of another stone quarry in their area. The Collector said that action would be initiated against the quarry and farm lands would be protected by all means.

Crop loans valued at ₹168 crore had been distributed through Cooperation Department and the target was to disburse ₹800-crore loans, officials said at the meeting and appealed to the farmers to utilise the opportunity to get loans at attractive terms.

A group of farmers from Sirumalai said that police stopped their vehicles under the guise of checking and even after repeated pleas that they were carrying only vegetables grown on their farms to the markets, they unnecessarily delayed them. The Collector said that she would look into it.

Another group of farmers wanted a cold storage facility with 1,000 tonne capacity in Oddanchatram to be converted in such a way that even small and micro farmers could use it. The Collector said that the construction at the new facility had been completed and was ready for inauguration. She suggested the farmers to make use of the existing cold storage facility in Dindigul and Palani where small farmers could store their produce.