Tamil Nadu Farmers Protest After Drought Relief Rejected by District Administration
Farmers in Thoothukudi district staged a sit-in protest at the Collectorate on Thursday after their demand for a drought declaration and compensation was rejected by officials. The protest, led by K. Premkumar of Villiseri, involved around 1.5 lakh affected farmers, according to the group.
District Collector Vishu Mahajan explained that the administration conducted a detailed study based on average rainfall, actual rainfall from the previous year, crop yield data, and other guidelines. The statistical data for Thoothukudi did not meet the prescribed criteria for declaring the areas drought-affected, so the administration could not recommend the proposal to the state government.
Farmers rejected this explanation and continued their protest. After talks with officials, they withdrew the sit-in and returned to their seats.
Other demands raised at the meeting included compensation for farmers who undertook restoration work on water bodies damaged during the 2023 floods, loan waivers promised by the Tamil Nadu government in its election manifesto, new loans for farmers affected by rising input costs, falling crop prices, and repeated natural calamities. They also sought permanent measures against wild boar menace, water supply to Kadambakulam, and immediate repair of breaches caused by the 2023 floods in Uppar Odai and Korampallam tank.
Officials assured that compensation for flood restoration works would be released soon, repair work on breaches would begin shortly, and traps were being prepared to capture wild boars, to be distributed across all blocks.
The meeting was attended by District Revenue Officer M. Guruchandran, District Forest Officer M. Ilayaraja, Joint Director of Agriculture Department Krishnakumar, and other officials.
