THANJAVUR: In a novel protest, a section of farmers, hanging empty gruel pots down their necks and holding unlit torch in their arms , staged a walk out from the agriculture grievance redressal meeting held at collectorate here today and staged a demonstration protesting non disbursal of drought relief.
Led by R Sugumaran, vice-president of Joint Movement of Farmers’ Associations, they presented a petition to Collector A Annadurai before staging a walk out from the meeting. They staged a slogan shouting demonstration pressing their demands. Later, they broke their earthen gruel pots and dispersed.
Later, addressing the media persons, Sugumaran demanded the dissolution of Tamil Nadu government for ‘non-functioning’. “State government is non-functioning for the past one year and it should be dissolved” Sugumaran said.
Sugumaran said that farmers in the State were worst hit due to continuous drought for six years and drought relief was not properly disbursed to the farmers who had raised paddy, sugarcane, banana tree and cotton. He demanded that government disburse Rs 35,000 per acre as drought relief to the farmers.
Sugumaran also demanded waiver of all loans availed by farmers from nationalized banks and cooperative banks.
Another group of farmers, led by Swamimalai Vimalanathan, district secretary of Cauvery Farmers Protection Association, presented a petition to Collector Annadurai and then staged a walk out from the agriculture grievance redressal meeting.
Holding a card with marks of ‘naamam’, symbolically indicating that they have been cheated by the government, the farmers staged a demonstration pressing their demands.
Vimalanathan alleged that various irregularities had been committed in the disbursal of drought relief to farmers. There was no transparency in the disbursal of drought relief to farmers, he alleged.