While several depositors of emu farms in Erode district were besieging the Erode Economic Offecnes Wing (EOW) office everyday since August 6 after the Susi Emu Firm fraud came to light, over 100 depositors of a poultry farm picketed the Collectorate on Tuesday after they failed to get their monthly salary from the firm.
Much on the lines of the emu farms, Sri Nithya Poultry Farm of Villarasampatti collected deposits from the people. For a deposit of `1.5 lakh, the depositors were given `15,000 as salary to maintain 600 country birds (Naattu Kozhi) provided by the firm. The salary was `10,000 for 400 birds and the deposit, `1 lakh. The firm would put up sheds measuring 10x42 and 10x32 ft under the two schemes. A section of the depositors said the firm, launched four months ago by one Murugavel of Thindal, netted nearly `16 crore from 700 depositors.
Said a depositor, R Chandrasekar of Bavani, “We did not get this month’s salary and we are also not able to contact the owner. Hence, we have come to the Collectorate to seek the Collector’s help to reopen the firm. It’s head office is at Nalli Hospital Road in Erode and the farm is at Villarasampatti near Erode.”
Muthusamy of Thottipalayam, another depositor, said the firm would give us chicks that weigh 300 gram and collect grown up chicks after three months. There was no need for power supply to maintain them. One batch of country birds (nattu kozhi) were collected so far and the contract was for two years. Rajkumar of Athur and Alagesan of Elavamalai said some firms give two or three-day-old chicks without collecting any deposit.
They gave feed and medicine and bought back the grown up birds at the rate of `7 per kg as larbour charge for maintaining the birds.
Rearing these birds were not easy and such farms required power supply, said the depositors. Moreover, those companies did not put up sheds, which was a prime reason why several depositors were attracted by Nithya’s Poultry Farm’s scheme, although it involved a deposit.
The scheme became popular as cultivation was not turning out to be profitable and the poultry farm promised a regular monthly income as well.
“After complaints poured in regarding the emu firms, we met Nithya’s owner Murugavel on August 14 and he promised to hold a meeting on August 19 to clear all our doubts. But, he was missing from Friday,” the depositors added.
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