Coimbatore: Raising the issue of rampant use of banned plastic items by traders and hoteliers during a complaint meeting held at the District Collectorate here on Friday, farmers urged the district administration to strictly implement the ban on single-use plastic items. urged to do.
G Ganesan, a farmer from Annur, said his cows were often suffering health problems after eating plastic bags thrown on the grazing land. “Cattle often eat leftover food and sambar in plastic bags and develop health problems. We have no option but to spend a lot of money for the treatment of the animals.”
Another farmer said plastic waste was also clogging irrigation canals. “When the restrictions were strictly enforced prior to the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, the threat had subsided. Now that the authorities are not taking it seriously, traders and hoteliers are using banned plastic items liberally.”
The farmers also opposed the National Highways Department’s plan to build a bypass road through Annoor and suggested other options such as construction of a flyover at Kinathukadavu and extension of the Sathi-Coimbatore road.
He demanded from the forest department to increase the compensation for crops damaged in wild animal raids and insect attacks. “While we lose a great deal of crops to wild animal raids, we never get adequate compensation.”
District Forest Officer TK Ashok Kumar told the farmers that they have received Rs 1.59 crore from the state government and will be compensated soon. He said that he had requested the government to allocate Rs 3 crore annually to farmers to compensate for the loss of their crops.
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