Declare land as protected agricultural zone: Ryots

''Namadhu Nilam Namadhe' (Our Land is Ours Only), a farmers welfare association, on Friday urged the Tamil Nadu government to declare land in Annur and Mettupalayam taluks in the district as a protected special agricultural zone and withdraw its order to set up an industrial park in over 3,600 acres there Joining issue with MP and DMK deputy general secretary A Raja, who clarified on the issue two days ago, the association president Kumara Ravikumar told reporters here that Raja has been misinformed by the officials that there are about 2,000 acres of land that TIDCO is using to start a company. However, there are only 1,200 acres of land and that belongs to a Bengaluru-based company, he said.

Only 200 acres of that land were available at one place and the remaining were in pieces and were scattered amid farmers' land, he said.

However, Ravikumar thanked Raja for assuring that the lands would not be acquired without the permission of farmers and that no polluting industries would be set up.

Ravikumar urged the government to not politicise the issue, as almost all parties -- AIADMK, BJP, Congress, and CPI-M -- had expressed solidarity with the farmers.

He further said the association would not attend any meetings convened by the officials until withdrawal of the government order.