Madurai Collector K.J. Praveen Kumar has instructed the officials to take necessary steps to identify and remove encroachments, particularly from the water channels in the district. The instructions were given to the officials at the farmers grievance redress meeting held at the Madurai Collectorate on Friday.

Responding to the queries raised by the farmers with regard to identifying and removing the encroachments, the Collector said the types of encroachments were being categorised.

They were identified and removed. He instructed the officials to ensure that there were no fresh encroachments on the water channels. He emphasised the need to sensitise the people in this regard.

Another issue raised by the farmers was with regard to destruction of crops by wild animals, particularly by wild boars. The Collector instructed the Forest and the Horticulture Department officials to come up with plans and use natural repellents to chase the wild animals and protect the crops. They were also asked to conduct camps in this regard.

Responding to a query on the auctioning of fishing rights in waterbodies, the Collector told the farmers and the officials that the first priority was to use water for irrigation purposes. The Collector also instructed the officials to remove the Seemai Karuvelam (Prosopis juliflora) trees from waterbodies and to auction them.

The farmers sought the reopening of the National Co-operative Sugar Mills in Alanganallur. The farmers also sought the better implementation of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) scheme which guarantees 100 days of employment with wages. The farmers urged the authorities to come up with plans to implement the scheme in a better manner so that all are benefited.

The Horticulture Department officials distributed vegetable seed packets to the farmers. The farmers were also told about the importance and benefits of beekeeping during the meeting.