Union Ministry of Rural Development has rejected Tamil Nadu government's request for special permission under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) to cut fallen trees and remove debris in districts that were hit by cyclone Gaja. The state had also asked for additional 50 days of employment per household in the affected areas.
"In view of the likelihood of increased demand for employment on public works due to cyclone Gaja, it has been decided under the Section 3(4) of MGNREGA, to provide additional employment in the notified cyclone Gaja affected regions of 133 blocks in 12 districts for the financial year of 2018-19," said the Union Rural Development Ministry letter dated January 3.
Gagandeep Singh Bedi, Agricultural Production Commissioner, Government of Tamil Nadu said that the Centre has allowed only pitting and planting under the MGNREGA as against the state's request to cut fallen trees and removal of debris and replantation in the cyclone-affected districts.
Citing the extensive damages caused to huts, houses, agriculture, horticulture and other infrastructure by the cyclone, Bedi wrote to the Union ministry on December 12 last year seeking special permission to cut fallen trees with power-saw using skilled labours and removing debris using unskilled labours under the MGNREGA. He pointed out that the Centre had given special permission under MGNREGA for removal of debris from private lands/roads as a special case under "Land development" in the cyclone/flood-affected rural areas of the state of Andhra Pradesh and Kerala.
Bedi said that the coconut plantation are badly shattered with permanent loss of livelihood for the farmers. "Over 60 lakh coconut trees and 13 lakh horticulture trees like mango, jackfruit, cashew, lemon, coffee etc have fallen across the rural areas have fallen and such fallen trees along with coconut leaf-stalk have to be cut and removed from the fields of farmers so that replantation may be taken up to support the livelihood of the people," he wrote and noted that this would help small, marginal and scheduled caste/tribes farmers in a great way in the time of distress by the way of relief and as the MGNREGA is the only source of income at present.
Sushmithan, son of V Thiruselvam, one of the farmers who committed suicide following the cyclone said that his family had lost Rs 1.5 crore worth of trees including coconut trees, Casuarina grove and jack fruit trees in their 63 acres of land to the cyclone. "We have to spend at least Rs 5 lakh to clear the fallen trees in our land. We don't know how we are going to do it," said Sushmithan whose family owns 63 acres of land in Pudukottai district.
Bedi wrote in the letter that it is calculated that approximately 3.5 crore person days would be required for undertaking the cutting of fallen trees, removal of debris and replantation of coconut and other horticulture crops.
PIT, DON'T CUT
Government of Tamil Nadu said the Centre has allowed only pitting and planting under the MGNREGA as against the state’s request to cut fallen trees and replantation in cyclone-affected districts.
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