In the absence of compound wall, ‘uzhavar sandhai’ used for drinking at night, say Vedasandur farmers

In the absence of a compound wall around the ‘uzhavar sandhai’ *farmers’ market) at Vedasandur near Dindigul, people are using the premises for consuming liquor at night, complained a group of farmers at the monthly grievance redress meeting held in Dindigul Collectorate on Friday.

Presiding over the meeting, PA (To Collector) Kottai Kumar said that steps would be taken to construct a compound wall around the farmers’ market at the earliest.

The Vedasandur farmers said that empty liquor bottles and shards of broken bottles could be seen strewn around the place when the marker opens for business in the morning. So, it posed risk for the visitors. Only a proper compound wall would provide safety for the farmers and the visiting public, besides keeping trespassers away, they said.

Farmers from Gujiliamparai, Vedasandur and other blocks said that in garbage is dumped into many water channels. The mounds of garbage inside the channels while blocking the water flow also emit a stench in residential areas, they said.

The civic authorities should slap hefty fines on those who dump garbage into water channels, they said/

Welcoming the Ayushman programme launched by the Prime Minister, which provided free treatment for people aged above 70, the farmers said that they were unable to register online, to which Mr. Kumar said that the public can visit the Collectorate for registration as they conducted special camps to enrol eligible people.

Wild boar menace

Farmers from Sirumalai and Ayyalur said that they were tired of complaining about wild boar menace as there was neither action from the Forest Department nor any support from the government. The loss of standing crops is increasing all the time, driving farmers into penury, they said.

The government should build a fence along the reserve forest areas or pay compensation for the damaged crops, they pleaded. The officials said that building a fence was not feasible but gave an assurance to protect the crops by finding ways to chase the wild animals deep into the reserve forests.

A farmer from Oddanchatram said that his land had been encoached and wanted the authorities to evict them and rstore the ancestral property to him.

EOM

Published - November 15, 2024 07:38 pm IST