Action against cheating emu farm owners, says Jayalalithaa

Chennai :Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa Friday directed the police to arrest the promoters of emu farms who are absconding after failing to honour commitments to their investors and take necessary action to confiscate the farms to pay off the latter.

In a statement issued here after chairing a review meeting on the issue, Jayalalithaa said: “I have ordered the police to arrest those who are absconding at the earliest. I have also ordered the police to take over the assets of emu farms through legal process and pay back the dues of investors.”

According to her, the state animal husbandry department would take care of the emu birds and once they grow up, they would be sold off and the proceeds would be adjusted towards the feed cost incurred by the department.

Jayalalithaa said 16 complaints have been registered against emu farm owners by the police and 33 people have been booked as accused. Till now four people have been arrested and remanded to judicial custody.

She said around 36,000 people have invested in emu farms located in Coimbatore and Erode belt.