MADURAI: The opposition AIADMK on Monday, November 1, 2021, charged the Kerala government with creating hurdles to Tamil Nadu to store water at 142 ft in the Mullaperiyar dam and slammed the ruling DMK in the State for "turning a blind eye" on the issue.
AIADMK coordinator and former Chief Minister O Panneerselvam said his party has decided to stage "massive protest" in five districts dependent on Mullaperiyar water against the Kerala government and the ruling DMK in Tamil Nadu on the matter.
Southern neighbours Kerala and Tamil Nadu are locked in a row over the safety of the 126-year-old dam, with the former saying it is not safe while Tamil Nadu insists that is not the case.
Speaking to reporters here, Panneerselvam said late Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa had led a legal struggle following which there was a "historic verdict" (from the Supreme Court) allowing Tamil Nadu to raise the water level from 136 ft to 142 ft in 2014.
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Theni, Dindigul, Madurai, Sivaganga and Ramanathapuram are dependent on the reservoir for their farming and drinking water needs and the farmers from these districts had even held a thanksgiving public meeting for Jayalalithaa over the SC ruling, Panneerselvam recalled.
"But the situation has changed now...the Kerala government has created various hurdles to Tamil Nadu to store water at 142 ft. The Tamil Nadu government is turning a blind eye to this. To tell people this and ascertain the livelihood of the farmers of these five districts, it has been decided to hold massive protest in these five districts on behalf of the AIADMK," he said.
The date for the protest would be announced after consulting the party's joint coordinator K Palaniswami, he added.
"With people's suppport this will be a massive protest," Panneerselvam added.