Virudhunagar

Revenue Minister K.K.S.S.S.R. Ramachandran has asked Virudhunagar district administration to spare the 130 acres of land belonging to Regional Agricultural Research Centre at Kovilankulam and to find alternative land for setting up SIPCOT industrial estate in Aruppukottai.

Virudhunagar district Collector N. O. Sukhapatra revealed this at the monthly farmers’ grievances redress meeting held here on Friday.

Farmers raised the issue of proposal to acquire land belonging to the agricultural research centre and objected to it claiming that like sanctuaries maintained for protecting wild animals, the research centre was a “sanctuary” for farmers as it was producing quality seeds for rain-fed areas of southern districts.

“Last year, a whopping 65 tonnes of seeds for black gram was produced by this centre,” said general secretary of Cauvery Vaigai Kiruthumal Gundar Irrigation Farmers’ Federation, Arjunan. With climatic change being the burning issue, this centre was catering to rain-fed crops of the region and appealed to the Collector to pass a resolution at the meeting against acquiring the land of the research centre.

Responding to the farmers, the Collector said that the Revenue Minister, while inspecting the SIPCOT industrial estate at E. Kumaralingapuram, had told him that the land of the research centre shold not be acquired for the industrial park. “He has asked us to look for alternative land,” he said.

The Collector said that he would forward the sentiments expressed by the farmers to the State Government.

Earlier, Mr. Arjunan sought action against the Special District Revenue Officer (Land Acquisition) for hiding the facts and giving false information to the farmers when they had sought clarification about the proposal for land acquisition.

Even as the SIPCOT Managing Director had written three letters to the district administration since 2024 with regard to land acquisition, the Special DRO had said that there was no such proposal.