Remove copper slag dumped on Uppar Odai to prevent flooding, say activists

Although deposited on private patta land, the slag blocks six spans of the eight pillared bridge.

The copper slag dumped on a patta land at the banks of Uppar odai in Pudukottai near Thoothukudi.   (Photo | V.KARTHIKALAGU, EPS)

THOOTHUKUDI: Activists called for the removal of copper slag dumped on the banks of Uppar Odai ahead of the northeast monsoon as it could cause floods. The 12-km-long Uppar Odai carries surplus water from Korampallam tank to the Thoothukudi Bay of Gulf of Mannar.

During the weekly grievance redressal meeting at the collectorate on Monday, the Tamil Nadu Makkal Nala Iyakkam president SM Gandhi Mallar appealed for removing the copper slag at the Pudukottai bridge on the Thoothukudi-Tirunelveli National Highway recalling the flash flood it triggered at Thoothukudi corporation areas in 2015, 2018, 2021 and 2023.
Although deposited on private patta land, the slag blocks six spans of the eight-pillared bridge.

As the flood waters of Kayathar and Kadambur are reduced to two spans of a few metres under the bridge, he said, it overflows into the corporation through Maravanmadam, Anthoniyarpuram, Ayyanadaippu and Soreespuram.

He also warned that the Iyakkam would stage a stir on October 3 if the district administration refused to remove it.

Naam Tamilar Katchi (NTK) cadre headed by Thoothukudi assembly constituency president C Pakiyaraj  also petitioned the district administration to restore the name of  Sundaram nagar, a residential area housing 400 families, which was changed to Sundar Nagar a month earlier.
Pakiyaraj said the actual name of the area should be retained to prevent people from going through the trouble of changing their address in aadhaar cards, voter's IDs, and ration cards.

In another petition, Samathuva Makkal Kazhagam district secretary PM Arputharaj called for seeking Centre's intervention to get cases withdrawn against the 22 fishermen belonging to Tharuvaikulam, and help repatriate them along with their vessels.

Meanwhile, Kazhugasalapuram villagers of Eppodumvendran panchayat urged the district administration to recover the land of the Parayar community's cremation ground which has been lost due to illegal encroachment. They also demand the installation of lamps on the road leading to the cremation ground.