Woman farmer breaks down as over 100 trees felled for power tower in Kallakurichi
A farmer in Tamil Nadu, India, protested unsuccessfully as authorities cut down over 100 trees on her land to install a high-tension power tower. The family claims the compensation offered is inadequate and that officials ignored requests to reroute the project.
Why it matters
The incident highlights the tension between infrastructure development and the rights of individual landowners and environmental preservation.
A woman farmer broke into tears after more than a hundred trees that she had nurtured for years were cut down to make way for a high-tension electricity tower at Vadathorasalur in Kallakurichi district on Saturday (August 8, 2026).
The farmer, Selvi, along with her son Balamurugan, a dentist, had maintained a diverse and naturally cultivated farm of over 100 trees, including mango, teak, mahogany, and papaya. The trees had been growing on her farmland for over 10 years and were raised in memory of her late husband.
Officials from the Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation (TANGEDCO) had recently inspected the land to set up a high-tension power tower and transmission line for the Thiyagadurgam area.
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