Discuss with GAIL not to lay pipeline on farm land: OPS to Stalin

Chennai, April 16 (IANS) Former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu and AIADMK Coordinator O.Panneerselvam on Saturday said the DMK government, which was looking at the laying of gas pipelines on the farm lands, was cheating the farmers.

Panneerselvam urged Chief Minister M.K.Stalin to discuss with GAIL (India) Ltd to lay its pipeline along the highway.

Panneerselvam also urged Stalin to provide financial compensation to the family of the farmer who committed suicide after GAIL started laying its pipes on his land.

According to Panneerselvam, the DMK in its poll manifesto had promised that it would provide relief to the problems faced by the farm sector and chalk out schemes for the sector's welfare.

However, the DMK government was being a spectator to GAIL laying its gas pipelines through the farm lands and was cheating the farmers.

The farmers in Dharmapuri district have been protesting as GAIL is taking land measurements for laying down their gas pipelines and three days back a farmer fearing his land being taken over by the company committed suicide, Panneerselvam said.

GAIL is laying a pipeline to carry gas from Kochi in Kerala to Bengaluru via several western districts in Tamil Nadu (Coimbatore, Tirupur, Erode, Namakkal, Salem, Dharmapuri and Krishnagiri).

While the pipelines are laid along the highways in Kerala, the company wants to lay the pipes through the farm lands in Tamil Nadu.

The company has refused to lay the pipes along the highways.