Thanjavur: Farmers created a flutter on the collectorate premises here today by paying homage to farmers who died of cardiac arrest or committed suicide in depression as a result of failure of their paddy crops for want of water for irrigation.

Led by R Sugumaran, vice president of the Joint Movement of Farmers’ Associations, a section of farmers staged a walk-out from the agriculture grievance redressal day programme held at the collectorate and paid their respects to the deceased farmers by holding dried paddy crops in their hands and lighting incense sticks.

Sugumaran demanded that the government declare the delta region as drought-hit and distribute solatium to the families of farmers who had died after their crops failed.

Likewise, another section of farmers led by Swamimalai S Vimalanathan, district secretary of the Cauvery Farmers Protection Association, staged a walk-out from the programme and held a demonstration urging the government to declare the delta districts as drought-hit.

The farmers, hanging placards bearing religious marks around their necks and holding pots with similar marks, raised slogans condemning the central government for its refusal and delay in constituting the Cauvery Management Board and the state government for its apathy.