5,000 villagers lay siege to Tirupur District Collectorate

Stepping up their agitation demanding immediate implementation of Avanashi-Athikkadavu Ground Water Recharge Scheme, nearly 5,000 people today decided to surrender their ration and voter ID cards through post after officials refused to accept them.
Even as the indefinite fast by 24 representatives of farmers and residents of three districts of Coimbatore, Erode and Tirupur, which will benefit from the scheme, pressing the demand entered the 10th day, around 1,000 people from various walks of life converged at the Collectorate, holding black flags, police said.
Laying siege to the collectorate in the morning, they demanded an immediate solution to the problem while some 500 persons squatted in the Collector Jayandhi's meeting chamber seeking an assurance from her.

The Collector told them that the administration had already written to the State government and was awaiting the response.
However, the activists refused to withdraw their siege and the crowd swelled to 5,000 in the evening, police said.
They then tried to surrender their ration and EPIC cards, but the collector and district officials refused to accept them and persuaded them to disperse.
They, however, said they would send the cards through registered post and also return freebies like grinder, mixer and fan tomorrow.
Meanwhile, District CPI-M appealed to the state government to immediately intervene and find a solution to the issue.