The move to acquire 60 acres of fertile agricultural lands at Kallapuliyur hamlet near Kumbakonam in Thanjavur district to set up a university in the name of former Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi has irked farmers.
In a memorandum to the district administration on Monday, farmers, led by S. Balamurugan of Kovilacheri, said that their families had been cultivating paddy and other crops on the agricultural land standing in the name of Manali Lakshmana Mudaliyar Charitable Trust at Kallapuliyur for several generations. The lease between the trust, which has bequeathed land for specific charitable purposes, and farmers has been unstrained for over 100 years as both the parties honoured their agreement in toto.
Last week, a team of officials led by Collector B. Priyanka Pankajam conducted a survey of lands falling at Kallapuliyur under the survey numbers 33, 56 and 57 measuring around 60 acres following the announcement made by Chief Minister M.K. Stalin that a university in the name of former Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi would be set up at Kumbakonam.
This, Mr. Balamurugan said, had annoyed tenant farmers who were carrying out the agriculture operations with the help of borewells and as well as surface water irrigation facilities for centuries. Further, the lessee farmers were surprised by the State government’s move to acquire fertile lands in the domain which was declared as a protected agriculture zone.
Mr. Balamurugan said farmers welcomed the move to institute a higher educational institution in the name of the former Chief Minister but requested the State government to drop the proposal to acquire fertile agriculture lands for this purpose and instead look for uncultivable lands or government poromboke lands.
Published – May 05, 2025 05:33 pm IST
