TENKASI: The permission granted by the Public Works Department (PWD) to an individual for constructing a bridge across the Thottiyankulam irrigation canal has ruffled feathers at Kalathimadam village near Alangulam. The villagers said just before his retirement, former Chittar Basin Division Executive Engineer (EE) S Mariappan granted permission to a woman to build a bridge to her vacant land.
"The Thottiyankulam canal and its banks are over 30 metres wide. However, in his order, the EE claimed that the canal is only five metres wide. This has helped the land owner to encroach a sizable land of the canal and begin construction of a bridge over it," they said.
The residents fear that it would be difficult to dredge the canal using earthmover after the bridge comes up, and other persons who own land near the canal might also decide to build bridges over the waterbody. "Thottiyankulam canal is the sole irrigation source for the rainfed agriculture lands in and around Alangulam," said S Vijaykumar, one of the villagers.
Kuthapanchan Panchayat President K Jayarani said her administration had not provided any approval for constructing the bridge. "A public well, which is a drinking water source for the Kalathimadam village, is situated adjacent to that individual's land. If the individual decides to dig borewells there, the groundwater table will get depleted," she added. Efforts by Alangulam Union Councillor D Pasupathi Devi to prevent the bridge construction also failed after the landowner produced the PWD order. "No PWD official had visited the construction site, which is a mandatory procedure. The water flow of the canal will get affected if this bridge comes up," Devi said.
Kuthapanchan Village Administrative Officer Shanmuga Anand said the width of the canal, banks and adjacent road is 36.4 metres as per records. When contacted by TNIE, Assistant EE Abdul Rahman said he had not visited the construction site as he had been informed of the works by the land owner. "The canal's water flowing area is only 5 metres wide. We have provisions to allow individuals to construct bridges across irrigation canals. Anyway, I will check if the land owner has encroached upon any land," he added. Incumbent EE Sivakumar also said he would look into this issue.