‘Bribe money’ returned to ryots at T’malai DPC
The collection ranging from Rs 40 to Rs 60 per paddy bag has been a sore point for farmers, who lack other options to sell their paddy and are forced to accept this practice at the DPCs.
Farmers during a sit-in protest at TNCSC office
TIRUVANNAMALAI: In a first of its kind, money collected as mamool ‘bribe’ from farmers, who offloaded their paddy at the direct procurement centre (DPC) at Kettaarampalayam in Tiruvannamalai district, was reportedly returned to them four days ago.
The collection ranging from Rs 40 to Rs 60 per paddy bag has been a sore point for farmers, who lack other options to sell their paddy and are forced to accept this practice at the DPCs.
According to TK Venketesan, Tiruvannamalai district president of the Tamil Nadu Farmers Association affiliated to the CPI, “Kettavarampalayam DPC staff collected Rs 60 per bag and when requested refused to either stop this practice or return the collected amounts to 10 farmers. Hence, we had no other option other than staging a sit-in at the Tamil Nadu Civil Supplies Corporation’s regional manager’s office at Vengikkal in Tiruvannamalai town.”
Their sustained agitation resulted in RM Thenmozhi suspending four staffers involved in this practice in addition to informing the police at Kalaladi. “A total of Rs 38,320 was returned to 10 farmers,” Venketesan said.
Asked whether he would agitate for the return of ‘bribe’ to all farmers in the Kettavarampalayam DPC, Venketesan said, “Initially we plan to act only for farmers affiliated with our organisation. We have already received requests from as far off as Edapaddi (Salem district) and from others in nearby areas in Tiruvannamalai district. A total of 385 farmers were affected by this issue in the Kettavarampalayam DPC.”
This is not the first time agitations have resulted in bribe amount being returned,” said M Sivakumar CPI Tiruvannamalai district secretary.