Farmers besiege toll plaza seeking rollback of e-registration in DPCs

Members of Cauvery Delta Irrigation Farmers Association besieged the toll plaza demanding to withdraw the online registration for DPCs in Tiruchy on Thursday.

It is said that the association members from Thanjavur, Tiruvarur and Nagapattinam gathered at the toll plaza at Thuvakudi on the outskirts of Tiruchy and blocked vehicle movement besides shouting slogans in support of their demands. They claimed that the online registration does not help farmers, but only the traders.

They said that farmers were forced to run from pillar to post to get the necessary documents from revenue officials required for the registration. As farmers were unable to adapt to the online registration, traders take the advantage which results in an unusual delay in the procurement process and forces farmers to stay in front of the DPCs for several days. This has been preventing the farmers from undertaking other farm related activities, including the cultivation of the summer crops, they claimed.

They demanded the Centre and state government to help the farmers and maintain the conventional method of procurement process with the token system monitored by the watch committee, they said.

Officials from the TNCSC along with the police rushed to the spot and held talks with the agitating farmers.  Traffic movement was disrupted on  Tiruchy-Thanjavur bypass road for more than an hour.