more-in MADURAI Citing a good storage level in Mullaperiyar dam, a section of farmers from Melur region appealed to the district administration here on Friday to immediately take steps to release water from Vaigai dam for the single-crop region in and around Melur. Speaking at the monthly farmers’ grievance day meeting, they said that Melur region had been facing an acute water shortage for the past around four years since it had not received adequate water in the Periyar main canal. “The land is parched. We have not taken a good yield for the last four years,” one of the farmers said. Pointing out that storage level has already reached 134 feet in Mullaperiyar dam due to bountiful rains in its catchment areas this year, N. Palanichamy, president Tamil Nadu Sugarcane Farmers’ Association, said that the government must make maximum use of this water. “The government should consider releasing water now so that the tail-end regions of Periyar Main canal get water,” he said. P. Periyapullan, Melur MLA, who briefly took part in the meeting on Friday, also submitted a memorandum to the Collector demanding the same. “I am appealing to the district administration to consider releasing water when the water level reaches 136 feet in Mullaperiyar dam,” he said. After a gap of nearly 10 years, water was released on time from Vaigai dam last month for the double-crop regions in Madurai. Water is released for the single-crop region generally around September depending on the availability, officials said. Apart from this, irregularities in the implementation of kudimaramath scheme and non-payment of pending dues by private sugar mills to farmers also dominated the meeting. Appreciating the objectives of the kudimaramath scheme, a few farmers alleged that the scheme was not implemented properly. They pointed out that at least three tanks in Melur region, where the scheme was implemented last year, had been chosen again for maintenance work under the scheme this year. They alleged that this would only benefit the person, who had obtained the contract, since no new work had to be done, they said.

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