P R Pandian has said that he will go on a massive hunger strike on August 15 in order to demand that the tenant farmers of the Patteeswarar temple in Perur, Coimbatore district, be charged as encroachers and that the process of evicting them from the land be dropped.
Coimbatore: P R Pandian has declared a hunger strike in protest of the filing of a land grabbing case against Pateeswarar temple tenant farmers.
The office bearers of the Coimbatore Perur Pateeswarar Temple Tenant Farmers Association met in Perur. The meeting was presided over by Kandasamy, president of the Farmers' Association (caste, religion, party affiliation), and Sivasubramaniyam, president of the Perur Pateeswarar Temple Tenant Farmers Association. The chief guest was P R Pandian, Chairman of the Coordination Committee of All Farmers' Associations in Tamil Nadu.
Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Pandian said,
"It is very painful to note that the Government of Tamil Nadu has not taken any action on the fall in the prices of coconut and cotton at a time when it is taking serious action on the rise in tomato prices. The irrigation department should be given autonomous powers to prevent pollution caused due to discharge of sewage into rivers and irrigation canals.
In addition to intensifying resource conservation in the Western Ghats, the construction of sky-high buildings in the hills, where the wildlife is home, the mountains have been blown up and the mineral resource smuggling is taking place illegally, so wildlife is invading the farmlands. This destroys the farmlands.
To prevent crop destruction by wild boars in such a situation, farmers should be given gun permits to shoot and kill, as is already practiced in various states.
The Tamil Nadu government should stop acting against the farmers. Based on the promise made in the assembly elections, in view of today's price rise, we should come forward to provide Rs 3,000 per quintal of paddy and Rs 4,500 per tonne of sugarcane.
Farmers should assure the availability of agricultural produce by establishing an adequate marketing support price.
The Tamil Nadu government should stop the plan to cancel the lease registration of farmers who have been cultivating for more than 100 years and evict them from their farms, citing court action across the state.
"We will not accept the registration of a case of land grabbing against tenant farmers and attempts to grab the land." Taking into account the farmers' food production on their farmlands, the lease registration should be completed today, and a policy decision should be made to register and grant the right of cultivation to the concerned farmers, as well as notify the court.
The Government of Tamil Nadu should come forward to protect the farmers who are being cheated by preventing them from court proceedings.
Why did the Tamil Nadu government remain silent until the Kerala government illegally completed the construction of a dam across the Siruvani river? The Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu should clarify this. The dam should be destroyed right now.
Farmers have been cultivating the 360-acre area belonging to the Perur Patteeswarar temple for more than 100 years. The government should cease portraying farmers as encroachers and extortionists and stop insulting farmers by taking cognizance of court proceedings.
A decision has been made to hold a huge hunger strike in Perur on August 15 in order to demand that farmers be protected by providing correct lease registration and informing the court that they will make a policy decision.
Tamil Nadu Cauvery Farmers' Association state president Thanjavur L Palaniappan, vice-president M Senthil Kumar, high-level committee member P Ashokan, Perur Pateeswarar Temple Tenant Farmers Protection Association office-bearers and more than 30 office-bearers of the Perur Patteeswarar Temple Tenant Farmers Protection Association participated in the meeting.