April 28, 2018
India

‘Installation of windmills damaging cultivable lands’

Special Correspondent | The Hindu | Thoothukudi, April 28, 2018 | www.thehindu.com

Protesting the erection of windmills on cultivable lands and the “authoritarian attitude” of officials of wind turbine generator installation companies, farmers appealed to Collector N. Venkatesh here on Friday to check this menace immediately.

During the farmers’ grievance redressal meet held here on Friday, a group of agriculturists from North Silukkanpatti, holding banners against wind turbine generators installation companies, rushed towards the seat of the Collector, who was chairing the meeting.

“Since the wind turbine generators installation companies are installing without proper permission from the officials concerned and taking the over dimensional spares of the wind turbine generators via cultivable lands, the farmers are suffering huge loss. They form roads and instal the poles along cultivable lands without getting any permission from the owners of these lands. When a few farmers resisted it, they were threatened by the henchmen of these firms. The police are also helping the wind turbine generator firms by registering false cases against the farmers and their family members,” charged K. P. Perumal, state treasurer of Tamil Nadu Vivasaayigal Sangam.

Farmer Kamaraja of Mela Chekkaarakudi said the roads through which the wind turbine generators were taken had suffered extensive damage.

The Collector said the police had registered cases against the officials of wind firm generator suppliers also and assured the protesting farmers that appropriate legal action would be taken against the erring officials.

“Since deposits are being collected from these firms, the damaged roads will be re-laid properly,” he said.

Mr. Perumal’s request for stopping of water being supplied from the Tamirabharani to Sterlite Copper was forwarded to the TWAD Board for further action.

When the farmers alleged irregularities in the paddy direct procurement centres in Tiruchendur area, Mr. Venkatesh asked the officials concerned to conduct an inquiry.

The farmers’ complaints on disbursal of insurance benefits for the crop loss were also forwarded to the officials of cooperative societies.

The companies form roads and instal poles along cultivable lands without getting any permission. When a few farmers resisted it, they were threatened