A group of farmers from Vilathikulam Taluk at the Thoothukudi Collectorate on Monday.
| Photo Credit: N. RAJESH
Farmers dependent on the Aatrankarai irrigation tank, located in Vilathikulam region submitted a petition at the Thoothukudi district collectorate on Monday, urging the authorities to desilt the tank and to permit the removal of silt from Aatrankarai irrigation tank.The petition was submitted at the public grievance redressal meeting, which was presided over by Thoothukudi district collector Vishu Mahajan. People from various parts of the district attended the meeting and submitted petitions highlighting their grievances.In the petition submitted by the farmers benefitting from the irrigation tank from the villages such as Aatrankarai, Guruvarpatti, Kumarapuram, Kandhasamypuram and Karuthaiahpuram highlighted the need to desilt the Aatrankarai irrigation tank and permission to take silt from the tank.The petition stated that the tank maintained by the Public Works Department (PWD) has not been desilted for several years. As a result, rain water does not accumulate adequately during the monsoon season and flows away without benefitting the irrigation, it added.Farmers said that permission had been granted several years ago to remove silt from the tank. However, due to violations of regulations during the process, the tank was reportedly classified as one where silt removal is prohibited. They noted that this had led to the situation where farmers are unable to obtain nutrient rich silt needed for agriculture, adding more than 600 acres of agricultural lands dependent on this tank for irrigation.The farmers requested that they be allowed to remove silt free of cost and that the approval be officially published in the government gazette. They also urged the government to undertake desilting work at the tank.In a separate petition, the members of Puratchi Bharatham party sought for the appointment of an additional doctor and two nurses at Urban Primary Health Centre (UPHC) in Mullakadu. The petition alleged that the UPHC has only a doctor, resulting in long waiting time for patients.They also pointed out that the Urban Health and Wellness Centre at Muthaiahpuram has been functioning without doctors for the past four months and requested that a doctor be assigned there on a daily basis. Published - July 13, 2026 08:30 pm IST
