Farmers in Tiruppur stop work on BPCL’s IDPL project for second day
Farmers in Tamil Nadu's Tiruppur district are protesting against the BPCL pipeline project, citing inadequate compensation and concerns over land devaluation. They are demanding higher payments and the return of a portion of the land after construction, while also expressing political frustration regarding interstate water disputes.
Why it matters
The protest highlights the ongoing tension between infrastructure development and agricultural land rights in India, often complicated by regional political friction.
Farmers in Tiruppur district prevented Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) from proceeding with its Irugur-Devangonthi Pipeline (IDPL) project across agricultural fields at two locations for the second day on Tuesday. The places are Sikkaripuram near Veeracholapuram village and Ponparappi near Olapalayam in Vellakovil block.
The farmers demanded that the compensation be fixed at ₹2 lakh a cent of farm land and that 40 feet out of the 60 feet of land earmarked for the project by the BPCL be returned to them after the pipeline is laid. The project has the capacity to transport 3.5 million metric tonnes of refined fuels per annum.
The farmers reasoned that the State government should desist from pressurising them to part their agricultural land for the sake of Karnataka, where the destination of the pipeline is located.
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