Farmers on a hunger strike against the proposed SIPCOT expansion plan in Tiruvannamalai.

Farmers protesting against the proposed SIPCOT expansion near Cheyyar town in Tiruvannamalai have sought an audience with Chief Minister M.K. Stalin at the State Secretariat to apprise him about the on-going agitation against the project.

As part of their demand to meet the Chief MInister, a group of around ten farmers representative affected villages have begun an indefinite hunger strike at Anakkavur panchayat union near Cheyyar town on Wednesday after the district police stopped hundreds of farmers, who tried to board buses to Chennai where they planned to march towards the State Secretariat a day ago.

They said that the meeting with the Chief Minister is also to apprise him about the false statements given by the Minister for Public Works, Highways and Minor Ports E.V. Velu said on the floor of the State Assembly during the budget session about the protest. “As we are not allowed to go en masse to the State Secretariat, we have asked police to get a nod for our representatives for a meeting with the Chief Minister,” said Arul Arumugam, a techie-turned farmer activist.

Accordingly, police has received a list of five member farmers team comprising Arul Arumugam, K. Chandran, S. Manikandan, V. Uma and S. Pachaiammal from protesting farmers. It is learnt that the district police led by K. Karthikeyan, Superintendent of Police (SP), has apprised senior officers in the Tamil Nadu police and the State government on the request made by agitated farmers to meet the Chief Minister. “We have apprised our higher-ups on the plea made by the protesters. Necessary protocol and procedures have to be followed. Like them (agitating farmers), we too are awaiting for the State government’s response,” said a senior police officer.

Police sources said that initially, the farmers demanded that they wanted to meet the Chief Minister during the on-going budget session. However, due to the busy schedule of the Chief Minister and senior officials and the sensitive nature of the issue, police have informed them that such a meeting during the session would not be possible.

After a brief lull, the agitation against the project has gained pace with farmers from affected villages having been participating in a sit-in protest at the panchayat union office for the past few days. In order to prevent any untoward incidents, three policemen, on an average, in each of the nine affected villages have been posted.

As per the plan, 3,174 acres of land will be acquired from nine farming villages — Melma, Narmapallam, Kurumbur, Thethurai, Nedungal, Athi, Vada Alapirandan, Veerapakkam and Lianeerkundram — for the phase-3 project, which began over a decade ago, in Anakavoor panchayat union.