Neduvasal protesters thank CM for ‘protected agri zone’
State Health Minister C Vijaya Baskar on Tuesday assured that the government is in discussion to withdraw cases filed against the protesters in Neduvasal, in Pudukottai district.
By : migrator
Update: 2020-02-11 19:41 GMT
Chennai
“Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami has assured the farmers that procedures would be followed, and the government will take steps to withdraw cases against protesters and farmers who protested against the hydrocarbon extraction scheme in Cauvery Delta region,” said Vijaya Baskar here.
After the Chief Minister announced that Cauvery Delta would be made an agriculture protected zone and hydrocarbon extraction would not be allowed in the state, farmers across the state hailed the announcement and thanked the government for not allowing hydrocarbon extraction. For the second day, farmers from the Delta region met Chief Minister and thanked him.
Addressing the media, farmers from Pudukottai district said the announcement was historic and the Chief Minister had fulfilled the long-pending demands of farmers. “The Chief Minister has informed us (farmers) that further processes involved in making Cauvery Delta a protected zone has been taken and even a state Minister has been sent to Delhi to discuss with centre the ways to implement the announcement”.
Farmers also said that it was not just the people of Neduvasal who protested against hydrocarbon extraction project but 70 other villages surrounding Neduvasal participated in the protest. “Elected representatives, village elders and protesters from more than 30 villages have come to thank the Chief Minster not just on the behalf of protesters or farmers but on the behalf of the entire state,” said the farmers.
The farmers further said that right from the beginning the state government was firm on their decision of not allowing hydrocarbon extraction in Neduvasal and through the announcement Chief Minister has assured that hydrocarbon extraction will not happen permanently in the region.
Vijayabaskar, while addressing the media, said that we did not place the demand of declaring Cauvery Delta an agriculture protected zone, but the Chief Minister gave us a pleasant surprise by making the declaration. The Chief Minister also assured the farmers that surplus Cauvery water would be diverted to Pudukottai district.
Farmers’ body seeks resolution on delta zone
The Farmers’ Association, led by P Ayyakannu, which met on Tuesday, resolved to stage a protest in front of the CM house, demanding to adopt a resolution in the Assembly declaring the Cauvery Delta as Protected Agricultural Zone which he announced recently. “The announcement should not go like NEET which had failed to materialise and so we demand a concrete solution for the farmers issue and demand to pass a resolution on the Assembly floor,” Ayyakannu told reporters after the state committee meeting. Ayyakannu said that the farmers are a dejected lot after the Union Budget failed to have the loan waiver for which they had been fighting for several years. He said that the Centre failed to keep the promise to allocate
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