Date:17/12/2002 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2002/12/17/stories/2002121701550900.htm

Southern States - Tamil Nadu

Rat as food: SC notice to Centre, T.N.

By Our Legal Correspondent

NEW DELHI DEC. 16. The Supreme Court today issued notice to the Central and Tamil Nadu Governments on a public interest writ petition filed by a Congress MP, alleging that the people of Tamil Nadu were "forced to eat rats" due to starvation and malnutrition. A Bench, comprising Justice V.N. Khare and Justice S.B. Sinha, ordered notice on the petition, which sought a direction to the Centre and the State to undertake measures to protect the fundamental right to live under Article 21 of the Constitution.

The petitioner, Ashwani Kumar, a Rajya Sabha MP from Punjab, sought a direction to the Centre and Tamil Nadu to ensure that at least the minimum supply of food to the people in the Thanjavur delta were maintained so that the most unfortunate and destitutes could live a life of dignity.

The petitioner said that a television news channel had shown the plight of the poor people in Thanjavur area and said they were forced to eat rats caught in their fields.

In the Kovilur village in particular, where abject poverty was compounded by the lack of water in the last nine months, the situation worsened due to crop failure.

As purchasing rice and vegetables was beyond the means of the poor people of this region, they were forced to eat rats, the report had said. It was most unfortunate that a nation which prided itself with an enviable record of protection and preservation of human rights should be shown as incapable of relieving the vast sections of its people of such acute distress. The Centre was yet to sanction the promised relief package of Rs.164 crores to Tamil Nadu to tackle the drought-like situation in the State.