Coimbatore: The Tamil Nadu govt on Saturday issued a government order (GO) to provide compensation to more than 1,100 small and marginal farmers who had parted with their land for the establishment of Bharathiar University, bringing relief to nearly 45-year struggle. As per a 2007 court order, the government has decided to pay 2,300-3,300 per cent as compensation.Welcoming the announcement, members of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and the Tamil Nadu Vivasayigal Sangam distributed sweets to the public at Kalveerampalayam in the city on Sunday. Between 1979 and 1986, around 924 acres were acquired from the farmers at Vadavalli, Somayampalayam and Veerapandi for establishing the university. Under the land acquisition rules prevailing at that time, the government fixed compensation at only 33 to 85 per cent of land. Refusing to accept the low compensation, the farmers approached a court in Coimbatore seeking fair payment. Though the court ruled in favour of the farmers in 2002, the government challenged the verdict in the high court and later in the Supreme Court, leaving the issue unresolved for more than four decades. According to CPI(M) Coimbatore district secretary C P Padmanabhan, the party and the farmers’ association carried out several protests highlighting the farmers’ long-pending demand. In August 2025, a major protest was held in front of the Coimbatore collectorate under the leadership of state secretary P Shanmugam and farmers’ association leaders. Padmanabhan said the party consistently raised the issue with the chief minister and officials. As part of the solution, the government has now decided to allot 195 acres of the university land to Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation (TIDCO), and the 164 crore generated through the move will be paid as compensation to the farmers. He added that the announcement has brought happiness to farmers who had been waiting for justice for over four decades. However, some farmers have raised doubts regarding the interest calculations made by the government. They plan to meet the district collector to seek clarification on whether the interest has been calculated according to the court order. If there are any discrepancies, they will file an appeal through legal channels, farmers said.
