Ahead of Assembly elections, Ramanathapuram sectors demand airport, ship-breaking hub, higher MSP

A collective of Ramanathapuram’s primary sectors—agriculture, fishing, and commerce—has presented a comprehensive development roadmap to the DMK Election Manifesto Committee.

The petitions, submitted to MP Kanimozhi, on February 10, represented a unified call for radical policy shifts, ranging from the establishment of a State-run insurance company to the creation of sea ambulances and new industrial corridors.

Ramanathapuram District Farmers’ Association Coordination Committee highlighted a harrowing five-year period where paddy crops were decimated by four years of flooding and one year of severe drought.

Criticising the current crop insurance model as corporate-centric, the committee urged the Tamil Nadu government to bypass private firms and launch its own State Insurance Company.

“The farmers are demanding a Minimum Support Price (MSP) of ₹3,200 per quintal of paddy and an acreage subsidy of ₹7,000, modeled after Telangana’s successful Rythu Bandhu scheme,” it added.

A key demand is the immediate execution of the Cauvery-Vaigai-Gundar river linking project and the construction of a check dam across the Kottakkari River.

For the fishing community of Rameswaram, the focus remained on physical and economic survival. The Fishermen Welfare Association called for high-level diplomatic intervention to secure the release of fishermen currently facing stiff sentences in Sri Lankan prisons. Beyond diplomacy, the association proposed groundbreaking safety measures:

A dedicated fleet for all Tamil Nadu ports to provide emergency medical care and rescue for missing fishermen through a sea ambulance. Demands included Marine Tribal status, an increase in diesel subsidies to 3,000 litres monthly, and a nominated Rajya Sabha seat to represent traditional fishing communities at the federal level.

Ramanathapuram Chamber of Commerce acknowledged recent government successes while pivoting toward a massive industrial overhaul. “Ramanathapuram must move beyond being a pilgrimage site to becoming an industrial hub,” the Chamber noted.

Their demands included a dedicated passenger airport for the district and a four-lane road connecting the coastal stretch from Karaikal to Thoothukudi, restarting the ship-breaking industry at Valinokkam and establishing factories to process local raw materials like seafood, chili, and salt.

Also, they urged the government to expedite the Sethusamudram Shipping Canal Project and restart ferry services between Rameswaram and Talaimannar.

The District Chemists and Druggists Association raised alarms over public health. They strongly petitioned against the sale of common medicines in grocery stores (OTC sales) and the online sale of drugs, which they link to the rise in counterfeit medications.

The association also requested that pharmacists be included under Act 48/2008, providing them legal protection from violence, effectively recognising the pharmacy trade as an essential medical service.

Common across all petitions was a desperate plea for water management. Whether it is the desilting of the Anjukottai Big Tank or the Pamba-Achankovil-Vaippar-Vaigai link, Ramanathapuram’s singular voice was to address the district’s water crisis through a comprehensive and long-term solution.