The Paradarami police near Gudiyatham in Vellore on Wednesday registered cases against over 50 mango farmers for blocking Paradarami - Chittoor Main Road on Tamil Nadu - Andhra Pradesh border by dumping freshly harvested mangoes on the stretch to highlight the steep fall in mango prices for the season.
Police said the agitating farmers were booked under Section 189 (unlawful assembly) under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) to preserve public peace and order. It was on Monday when more than 100 farmers in the region blocked Paradarami - Chittoor Main Road at Paradarami, a border village near Gudiyatham town, to highlight the decline in mango prices in the open market for the season.
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The unlawful gathering of farmers on the key stretch blocked traffic movement on the route for more than three hours before revenue officials and the police pacified agitating farmers to take up the issue with District Collector, V.R. Subbulaxmi. Trucks and goods laden lorries got stuck on the route due to dumped mangoes on the stretch. “Unlike previous years, mango production was surplus due to good rains in the region. However, pulp manufacturers, who are major buyers, fix low prices for mangos due to unused stocks,” said G. Chellaiyah, a farmer.
