THANJAVUR, TIRUCHY: As many as 370 farmers led by P R Pandian, president of the Coordination Committee of All Tamil Nadu Farmers Associations, were arrested on the outskirts of Thanjavur on Saturday while proceeding towards Mukkombu to protest against the government’s alleged failure to make water available for samba cultivation. Another group of demonstrators were arrested near the collapsed dam regulator.
As the protest was announced earlier, a strong contingent of police was posted along the Thanjavur-Mannargudi road. Pandian and others, who were coming from Mannargudi, were stopped at the Thanjavur-Manargudi-Pattukkottai junction. The farmers then staged a road blockade and were later joined by AMMK workers.
Talking to reporters, Pandian said that while the Karnataka government had failed to release water for over seven years, the Tamil Nadu government didn’t ensure water flow into canals this year even though “mother nature” gave the region plenty of water.
Pandian said the breach of nine piers in the Mukkombu regulator resulted in water flowing into the Kollidam instead of Cauvery. He faulted indiscriminate sand mining and the improper maintenance of the irrigation structures for the sorry state of affairs.
And in Tiruchy, members of the farmers’ association were arrested near the Upper Anaicut on the Tiruchy-Karur highway. They were planning to demonstrate demanding that the stability of the dam be inspected and action taken against officials responsible for the damage.