Chennai,August 23
AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami has urged the TVK-led alliance government to immediately compensate farmers whose harvest-ready paddy crops were damaged by heavy rain in Tamil Nadu’s Delta districts.
In a statement, Palaniswami said paddy cultivated across nearly 2,000 acres had reportedly been destroyed following unexpected rainfall in Tiruvarur, Nagapattinam and neighbouring districts over the past two days.
He said the downpour had severely affected farmers who were preparing to harvest their crops. Many paddy fields had become inundated, leaving cultivators facing heavy financial losses and uncertainty over repaying their loans.
Palaniswami said the government had a responsibility to support the affected farmers and provide relief without delay. Taking a dig at Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay, he said the Chief Minister, who had expressed a desire to be born as a farmer in his next life, should first protect farmers suffering in the present.
The AIADMK leader pointed out that water had not been released from the Mettur dam on June 12 for Kuruvai cultivation. As a result, several farmers had borrowed money and cultivated paddy using groundwater. Their crops were ready for harvest when the unseasonal rain caused extensive damage.
He also recalled the ruling alliance’s election promise to waive agricultural loans obtained from cooperative banks. However, the government’s subsequent statements that the waiver would be implemented gradually had angered farmers, he claimed.
Palaniswami demanded that teams of Revenue and Agriculture department officials be sent immediately to the affected districts to conduct a comprehensive assessment of the crop damage.
He urged the government to ensure that every affected cultivator was covered by the relief measures and paid compensation of ₹30,000 per acre. Immediate assistance was essential to help farmers recover their investment and meet debt obligations, he added.
