Don’t let agri bill go the NEET way, caution ryots

While the farmers welcome the move, the state government should pressurise the Centre to accept the resolution and enact a law on protected agricultural zone. “At the same time we have a bitter experience with the resolution passed on NEET and the Centre failed to consider it and so we have an apprehension over this and the state government should see that it has been made as a law,” said Swamimalai Sundara Vimalanathan, Cauvery Farmers Protection Association Secretary.

Vimalanathan said, since the budget session is on in Parliament, it is in the hands of all the MPs from Tamil Nadu to pressurise the issue on the floor to enact this as a law. “This is their responsibility to make the Union government to oblige to the resolution passed in the Tamil Nadu Assembly,” he said.

Meanwhile, PR Pandian, president of the Coordination Committee of All Farmers Association, said, the announcement of Protected Agricultural Zone is timely and a welcome move. The farmers in Thanjavur, Tiruvarur and Nagapattinam have long been expecting this. “At the same time, the farmers from the region are not against the industries related to the agri products, but strongly oppose the projects resulting in destruction and pollute agriculture. The state government should ensure the farmers that the industries which affect agriculture would never be continued or started,” Pandian said.

Pandian expressed dissatisfaction over the absence of the farmers in the 15-member special team formed for the study of Protected Agriculture Zone. “We hope the Chief Minister re-shuffles the team and include representatives from the farming community,” said Pandian and added that the Centre should stand by the resolution passed by the state government.

N Veerasekaran, spokesperson of Bharathiya Kisan Sangam, who also welcomed the state government’s move, said that the missing of the districts like Tiruchy, Karur, Perambalur and Ariyalur are disappointing. “These are the districts actually depend on pure agricultural activities. Cultivation used to take place in all the seasons. But, the government should include these districts also,” he said.

He also urged to include non-political farm leaders in the 15-member team so that they would give hand on information to the government and speak for the farmers.

The state, which announced the Protected Agricultural Zone, permitted the ongoing projects against which the people have been fighting for several years and there is no mention of withdrawal of cases against those who fought against those anti-people projects, said Cauvery Rights Retrieval Committee (CRRC) coordinator P Maniarasan here on Thursday.

Speaking to reporters, Maniarasan said, “Already over 4,000-acre land has been allocated for both Vedanta and ONGC for their exploration activities in Delta districts and they have commenced their initial works. The people have protested against those projects and thus, the farmers are confused over the announcement.”

He said that the people of Nannilam, Mannargudi and Sirkazhi and other regions have expressed their strong opposition to the hydrocarbon projects. But, the announcement prevents only new projects and not the already on going ones. “So, the announcement will not have any impact,” he claimed.

Stating that purely agricultural locations such as Lalgudi, Musiri, Pullambadi in Tiruchy district and Kulithalai in Karur district are omitted from the list, Maniarasan said, that these places are cultivable areas and the people depend only on agriculture and the government should ensure the farmers from these areas are included in the list.

Maniarasan also said that the announcement has no mention of withdrawal of cases against those who fought against the hydrocarbon projects in Delta districts. “In order to respect the activists who fought against hydrocarbon projects, the Chief Minister should withdraw the cases,” he added.