Farmers agitate demanding immediate release of water

: More than 2,000 farmers staged a road roko at nearby Karumandampalayam, demanding immediate release of water in Kalingarayan canal for irrigation.
They said the release of water for the next 15 days is necessary to save standing paddy and turmeric crop in Kalingarayan ayacut to enable harvest. But release of water was stopped about 10 days ago, they added.
PWD officials said the process of modernising the canal to avert mingling of effluents from tanneries and textile industries, has already been started with the tenders being finalised.
Work was started earlier as it would not be possible to do so once the dates for Lok Sabha polls are announced,they said.

The farmers began their agitation at around 0900 hrs and wound it up by around at 1300 hrs.