Woman farmer breaks down as over 100 trees felled for power tower in Kallakurichi
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
A Tamil woman farmer, Selvi, wept openly after more than a hundred trees she tended for a decade were felled to make space for a high-voltage electricity tower in Kallakurichi district. Balamurugan, her son who is a dentist, stood by his mother as the trees, including mango, teak, mahogany, and papaya, were cut down. The trees had been growing on their farm for over 10 years, serving as a tribute to Selvi's deceased husband.
Officials from the Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation (TANGEDCO) had inspected the land to install the tower and transmission line for Thiyagadurgam area. Selvi had appealed to the district authorities to relocate the power line, but they proceeded with cutting the trees using machinery. The trees were uprooted right in front of Selvi and Balamurugan, with police personnel taking her away.
The footage of the incident quickly circulated on social media. Selvi criticized the officials and police for acting inhumanely, stating that while the government encourages tree-planting, it was destroying trees that had been nurtured for over a decade. She claimed the trees were worth ₹2 crore, yet TANGEDCO officials only promised ₹97,000 as compensation.
Balamurugan emphasized that a fair compensation should be given, similar to other districts, and that alternative routes should be planned to avoid affecting trees on agricultural land.
Written by urgent.news from The Hindu's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — it may contain errors, so check the original before relying on it.