Farmers seek compensation for withered paddy

Farmers in Tirunelveli demand compensation for withered paddy due to monsoon failure, citing severe water scarcity issues.

Seeking compensation for paddy that withered due to failure of the northeast monsoon, farmers from Maanur union in the district submitted a petition to Collector R. Sukumar on Monday.

The farmers, led by D. Abraham, district secretary, Coordination Committee of Tamil Nadu All Farmers Associations, said the paddy growers of Maanur union had to largely rely on wells for watering their crop as the region had a limited systemised irrigation under the Chittar irrigation system. As the northeast monsoon in the region saw lower than normal precipitation between October and December, the water level in the wells in Maanur union had gone down alarmingly.

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“Since the paddy cultivated with well water in Maanur union, especially in Keezha Pillaiyarkulam and Kaanaarpatti, is withering fast due to water scarcity, we cannot save the standing crop. Hence, the District Collector should recommend to the Tamil Nasdu Government to give compensation for the crop loss,” Mr. Abraham said.

A group of women from Rajiv Gandhi Nagar near Pettai submitted a petition seeking ‘patta’ for the land on which they had built their huts.

The petitioners, who had built their huts on government poramboke land with asbestos roof, said the revenue officials, after surveying the Rajiv Gandhi Nagar land, had recommended the issuing of ‘patta’ to only 34 families while the remaining 44 had been left out.