PUDUKOTTAI: The government's decision to open limited Direct Procurement Centres (DPC) may pave way for new problems in Pudukkottai district, with a communal clash brewing in the Vellalaviduthi panchayat.
On the backdrop of a bumper Kuruvai season, long-forgotten community friction may resurface in the Vellalaviduthi village, as the government has provided permission to open only one of the two DPCs located here.
The village panchayat has two DPCs - one at Vellalaviduthi and another at Mangalakovil, 1.5 km apart. Earlier, there was only one DPC at Vellalaviduthi village. As a majority of the farmers belonged to two different communities, there was a dispute among them while selling their produces at the DPC a few years ago. As the dispute failed to settle and often one community ruffled feathers of the other while selling the paddy at the DPC, the local TNCSC officials took measures towards opening another DPC at nearby Mangalakovil in 2018.
Although the government has set no restrictions for the farmers to sell their harvest in any particular DPC, an unsaid rule has been prevailing in the Vellalaviduthi panchayat where a section of Caste-Hindu sell their produce only at the Mangalakovil DPC and another section at the DPC in Vellalaviduthi.
However, now with the government ordering to open only the DPC at Vellalaviduthi, the villagers fear that it would spark community tension again.
"Already the farmers belonged to one community have started heaping their harvest in front of the closed Managalakovil DPC, even though the government has said they are not going to open it now," feared a villager.
The farmers are doing this to mount the pressure on the officials to open the DPC as they do not want to go and sell their paddy at the Vellalaviduthi DPC.
Speaking to TNIE, Paramasivan, Village Panchayat President, Vellalaviduthi said, " Ever since a second DPC was opened in the panchayat, there have been no issues of communal tension here. Now with the officials providing permission to open only open, tensions are already rising. The district administration should immediately intervene and open both the DPCs before any law and order issues arise."
However, when contacted the officials from the TNCSC regarding the issue, they opined that permission was provided for only one DPC to open as only a limited harvest has been completed till now.
"We have passed on the information regarding the villagers' demand to the higher officials, we will open the other DPC when the permission is granted," said the officials here.