Pondy Agricultural Labourers to agitate

Puducherry, July 14: The Puducherry Agricultural Labourers Association, affiliated to the Communist Party of India, will take out a procession and submit a memorandum to the Lt Governor on Monday next to press their demands.

Talking to newspersons here today, Association General Secretary Ramamurthy said the Chief Minister had announced in 2002 that the Agricultural Labourers Welfare Society would be set up here and Rs 85 lakhs earmarked for the same. However, nothing had materialised even in his second term, he said.

He said that in 1974, 902.2 hectares of land were identified as surplus. Out of this, 422 hectares were distributed to poor and the rest was lying idle and the administration had failed to take effective steps to sort out certain litigation on this, he said.

He said the government should give ten kg free rice to all the rural poor. He also demanded that all the rural poor be provided free colour television sets as announced by the government.

UNI