The Mullai Periyar Single-Crop Irrigation Farmers Welfare Association expressed dissatisfaction with current agricultural relief measures and demanded immediate interventions on long-standing regional infrastructure issues.“The current announcement regarding the cooperative loan waivers has caused widespread shock and disappointment among farmers,” said M. Murugan, president of the association.“We are strongly urging the ruling government to honour its election promises and issue a comprehensive loan waiver to alleviate the severe economic distress our community is facing,” he added.”The association did, however, welcome the State government’s recent order allowing farmers to freely collect alluvial soil, a move that helps improve soil fertility.Mr. Murugan pointed out that despite winning a Supreme Court verdict to reopen the Alanganallur National Co-operative Sugar Mill two decades ago, successive governments have failed to act.He noted that revitalising the mill, a move that would fundamentally uplift local livelihoods, requires a modest investment of ₹30 crore.Criticising the past governments for a 20-year lack of progress on a court ruling that permits strengthening the Mullaperiyar Dam to safely raise the primary reservoir’s water level to 152 feet, Mr. Murugan said, “No minor work was carried out by previous governments for 20 years on this front.”“We request the Tamil Nadu government to act on a war footing, form a dedicated special committee, and engage both the Union and Kerala governments alongside legal strategies to raise the water level,” he stated.The farmers have raised alarms over the skyrocketing prices of fertilisers and essential agricultural inputs, urging the State to design targeted subsidy and loan programmes to prevent farming activities from grinding to a halt, he said.Further, he alleged rampant water mismanagement and theft along the Mullaperiyar waterway.“Influential political figures in the Theni district have illegally expanded canals and deployed massive heavy-duty motors to siphon water away from traditional farming zones. We urge the government to ban these giant motors immediately to protect the livelihoods of 2,05,000 acres of ancestral single-crop farming lands,” he said.Mr. Murugan urged Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay to establish a State-level agricultural advisory committee composed of major farmers’ union representatives to systematically address ongoing grievances. Published - May 30, 2026 06:17 pm IST