Tamil Nadu: Coconut farmer loses everything to Cyclone Gaja; commits suicide

Tanjore: Cyclone Gaja, which hit the coastal districts of Tamil Nadu, brought with it deadly force and damaged properties and took 63 lives in its wake. The worst affected areas were Nagapattinam, Tanjore, Thiruvarur, Pudukkottai and Cuddalore districts. Despite the fact that a week has elapsed since the cyclone made landfall, over 2 lakhs people are still in relief camps. In a tragic incident that was reported from Cholakan Kudikadu village near Orathanadu in Tanjore district where a coconut farmer committed suicide after losing his life’s work to the natural disaster. 55-year-old Sundarraj lost all his coconut trees planted on the 5 acres of his land due to Cyclone Gaja. His family was completely dependent on the produce from the coconut trees for many years and his entire produce was destroyed in the cyclone. Sundarraj was under tremendous stress, thinking about future of family and livelihood for the past few days. On Thursday morning, he went to a burial ground near his house and committed suicide by consuming poison. His body was found at the burial ground by the villagers and they were distraught to find him dead. Ever since the devastating Cyclone Gaja hit the state, farmers who were severely affected in Tamil Nadu have been demanding compensation from the state and central governments for the crops they had lost. The farmers in that village alleged that the state government has announced a meagre relief amount for their damaged crops. They said that the state government has announced relief of only Rs 500 for the damaged trees and Rs 600 for removing the debris. About 44 lakhs of coconut trees were uprooted due to Cyclone Gaja alone in Tanjore and Pudukkottai districts of Tamil Nadu. Moreover, many acres of paddy farming lands were also fully destroyed by Cyclone Gaja. Source: Times Now