TIRUPPUR: A farmer in in Poomalur village in Palladam has allegedly built a channel from the PAP canal and diverted water to an anandoned stone quarry. The incident came to light on Wednesday after a section of farmers informed PWD and revenue officials regarding the issue. A case was registered in Mangalam police station on Wednesday afternoon.
Poomalur Panchayat President V Priyanka said, “The spot is located in Lakshmi Nagar and the farmer has dug a small channel through his farmland to fill the stone quarry. The VAO and PWD officials inspected the spot and closed the channel.” K Anbarasan a farmer in the village said, “The incident has come as a huge shock for us since water is released in the canal for just 5-7 days in turn system.”
A PWD official said, “The individual, Govindasamy, has vast tracts of land near the canal. Since the water release is for a shorter duration, he built a channel for about 300 metres to divert water to the quarry, which is spread over half an acre. It was abandoned 10 years ago. A joint team of VAO and PWD officials inspected the spot and closed the channel. We have given a complaint to Palladam police and inquiry has been launched.”