Farmers staged a sit-in protest at the Udumalpet Tahsildar office, alleging discrimination in granting sand mining permits. The incident led to heated arguments with officials and sparked tension in the area.
Coimbatore: Farmers in Udumalpet, Tiruppur district, staged a sit-in protest at the Tahsildar office, alleging discrimination by the Revenue Department in granting permits for sand mining from various water bodies. The protest led to heated arguments with Public Works Department officials, causing temporary tension in the area.
The district administration had previously granted permission for sand mining in several water bodies near Udumalpet, including Thirumoorthy Dam, Valavadi, and Sappittiyarkulam. However, farmers claim that the Revenue Department is now showing bias in issuing permits for sand extraction.
According to the protesting farmers, over 500 agriculturists in the Udumalpet area had submitted the necessary documents as per government regulations to obtain sand mining permits. Despite this, the Revenue Department has allegedly rejected their applications without providing any reason. The farmers stated that they have submitted multiple petitions to the Revenue Department, requesting fair treatment and permission for all to extract sand.
"We have resorted to this sit-in protest at the Tahsildar office today because no action has been taken despite our repeated requests. We demand that all farmers who have applied for sand mining permits be granted permission. If our demands are not met, we will continue our protests," the farmers warned.
Following the protest, Udumalpet Tahsildar Sundaram, DSP Sugumaran, and Public Works Department officials arrived at the scene and held talks with the farmers. The officials assured the protesters that appropriate action would be taken regarding their concerns. Based on this assurance, the farmers temporarily suspended their agitation.
The incident of farmers staging a sit-in protest at the Udumalpet Tahsildar office demanding sand mining permits has created a stir in the region, highlighting the ongoing issues faced by the agricultural community in accessing local resources.
The district administration had previously granted permission for sand mining in several water bodies near Udumalpet, including Thirumoorthy Dam, Valavadi, and Sappittiyarkulam. However, farmers claim that the Revenue Department is now showing bias in issuing permits for sand extraction.
According to the protesting farmers, over 500 agriculturists in the Udumalpet area had submitted the necessary documents as per government regulations to obtain sand mining permits. Despite this, the Revenue Department has allegedly rejected their applications without providing any reason. The farmers stated that they have submitted multiple petitions to the Revenue Department, requesting fair treatment and permission for all to extract sand.
"We have resorted to this sit-in protest at the Tahsildar office today because no action has been taken despite our repeated requests. We demand that all farmers who have applied for sand mining permits be granted permission. If our demands are not met, we will continue our protests," the farmers warned.
Following the protest, Udumalpet Tahsildar Sundaram, DSP Sugumaran, and Public Works Department officials arrived at the scene and held talks with the farmers. The officials assured the protesters that appropriate action would be taken regarding their concerns. Based on this assurance, the farmers temporarily suspended their agitation.
The incident of farmers staging a sit-in protest at the Udumalpet Tahsildar office demanding sand mining permits has created a stir in the region, highlighting the ongoing issues faced by the agricultural community in accessing local resources.