Latest news with #TamilNaduFarmersProtectionAssociation
The Hindu
10-06-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Farmers begin sit-in protest at Avinashipalayam opposing BPCL's pipeline project across agricultural fields
Farmers began their sit-in protest at Avinashipalayam on Tuesday demanding that the Coimbatore-Muthur and Coimbatore-Karur pipelines of Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited be laid alongside the roads instead of agricultural fields. Referring to the crash in the land value due to laying of Coimbatore-Karur pipeline by BPCL across agricultural fields 25 years ago, farmers lamented that they were unable to get crop loans. During the protest led by general secretary of Tamil Nadu Farmers Protection Association Muthuvishwanathan, the farmers called for immediate halt of the pipeline work by BPCL, under its Irugur-Devengothi Pipeline (IDPL) project, along the 70-km distance from Coimbatore to Muthur cutting across farmlands, reminding the State government about a resolution adopted in the Assembly in 2013 for laying all petroleum pipelines along the roads. This was reiterated as a poll promise by the DMK government. However, despite the farmers risking loss of livelihood due to the project, the BPCL was attempting to lay a new pipeline alongside an existing one based on the previous clearance. The farmers would not permit this, Mr. Muthuvishwanathan said.
The Hindu
07-06-2025
- The Hindu
E-pass permit system for transport of construction materials from quarries to take effect in Tiruppur district from June 9
The Tiruppur administration has directed quarries mining construction materials to comply with electronic (e-pass) system for transport of the load from the storage points, from June 9. Till now, the lessee was entitled to obtain transport permit and despatch slips from the District Collector concerned or any officer authorised by him for removal of the minerals from the leasehold area. The new electronic system will take effect under the Tamil Nadu Prevention of Illegal Mining, Transportation and Storage of Minerals and Mineral Dealers Rules, 2011, District Collector T. Christuraj said in a press release. 'The system of transport of construction materials using the transit passes with hologram will be stopped. Only the electronic passes downloaded from the website: will be valid. Vehicles flouting the directive will be confiscated,' he said. During 2023, the Geology and Mines Department had started working on bringing in Differential Global Positioning System (DGPS), Mineral Management System (MMS), e-permit, vehicle tracking system, and drone survey, in response to the directive of NGT, Southern Zone, following a case filed a year earlier by Tiruppur-based Tamil Nadu Farmers Protection Association. The NGT had flagged 'misuse of the transit permits' and also 'illegal transportation' of the quarried material. For the DGPS technique entailing fixing of boundary of the quarry/mining lease area to ascertain whether the lessees were operating the quarries within the permitted area, 23 agencies were empanelled for erecting boundary pillars using geo-coordinates. The online MMS for minor minerals is designed to have a tab on the processes right from the stage of application till the grant of lease. The department had favoured e-permit system combined with installation of weigh bridge at quarry sites as it will help control illegal transportation of minerals and also assess the quantity of minerals quarried and transported from the lease premises. The electronic system required all the vehicles transporting minerals to be registered with the department and to instal AIS-140 or higher standard of GPS instrument. The software was developed for the Mineral Management System (MiMaS) by Tamil Nadu e-Governance Agency. With the objective of removing the scope for illegal quarrying resulting in revenue loss to the Government, e-permit system for obtaining bulk permits was initially launched on a trial basis in Chengaplattu and Kancheepuram districts, and subsequently extended to Villupuram, Tiruvannamalai, Dharmapuri and Krishnagiri disticts. According to the policy note of the department, out of ₹1835.93 crore, revenue generated from the mineral resources during 2023-24, minor minerals constituted 28% accounting for ₹513.43 crore. As per the official data, 5,245 vehicles transporting minerals without valid transport permits were seized, and penalty of ₹17.43 crore was collected, in addition to registration of 3,891 criminal cases/FIRs.
New Indian Express
30-04-2025
- Business
- New Indian Express
Palani farmers hit sweet spot with lime, rake in better profit
DINDIGUL: Farmers in Palani and nearby areas in Dindigul district are increasingly turning to lemon cultivation, finding it more profitable and marketable than traditional crops like tomato, sapota and guava. They say lemons could be directly sold to retailers or wholesalers, bypassing commission agents or traders. Speaking to TNIE , B Raja, a farmer said, 'Lemon mostly grows in red soil, which is mostly prevalent in Palani and its surroundings. There are many varieties of lemon saplings - Rs 120 (3 years old), Rs 90 (1 year old), and PKM (Periyakulam variety) costing Rs 10 (2 months old). Around 80-90 saplings can be planted in one acre. The total cost of inputs including fertiliser and pesticide touch Rs 20,000 per acre. Each lemon tree, which lives for 6-10 years, yields around 1,000 to 2,000 lemons annually. The cost for plucking is Rs 500 per day, but if the farmer's family pluck it, the expense is reduced.' Speaking to TNIE , G Radhakrishnan another farmer said, 'The wastage is less in lemon farmland. If a lemon falls on the ground, it remains the same without decaying for more than three days. But for the guava, it isn't. A guava starts to decay, the moment it falls on the ground. A guava farmer could lose more than 40-60 boxes (1 box-25 kilograms) per year due to decay.' Besides, he mentioned that lemons are also procured by pickle factories and industries for a good price of Rs 90 per kg. According to the horticulture department, over 400 hectares of fresh plantations of lemon were noticed in Palani and Oddanchatram in 2024-25. Overall gross cropped areas in Dindigul have grown from 2,376 hectares in 2021-22 to 2,900 hectares in 2024-25. Tamil Nadu Farmers Protection Association (Dindigul) secretary K Vadivel said, 'Many times, the price doesn't fluctuate and we find farmers often choosing farm produce whose price is mostly stable. Just as white ants destroy coconut trees, guava plants also suffer from infections, making lemons a safer choice. An official from the Horticulture Department (Dindigul) said, 'Farmers switch from one crop to another if it is financially beneficial. Farmers in hilly areas prefer lemons to other crops in Palani and Oddanchatram taluks in Dindigul district and the overall crop pattern of the district remains largely unchanged.'
