PMK protest against NLC turns violent
NEYVELI: A protest organised by the Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) against acquisition of farmlands by Neyveli Lignite Corporation (NLC) turned violent on Friday after party president Anbumani Ramadoss was detained by police when he attempted to enter the NLC head office along with his supporters.
Hundreds of PMK cadres swarmed police vehicle to prevent the former union minister from being taken away by police. The situation went out of control after a section of party workers refused to heed to police advice to disperse and started pelting stones. A police inspector was injured and a police vehicle was damaged. Two constables and a few onlookers too sustained injuries. Some media personnel were attacked and a TV channel’s camera was also damaged, sources said.
As violence continued, police had to fire five rounds in the air, use water cannons, fire tear gas shells and use mild force to disperse protesters, a police official said. Anbumani Ramadoss, however, said the protest was held in a peaceful manner and some of his party members were injured when police resorted to a lathi charge.
Speaking to reporters in Madurai, finance minister Thangam Thennarasu termed it a politically-motivated agitation by “some outsiders”. Thennarasu said farmers have been assured of enhanced compensation for giving their land to NLC. “Any setback to NLC would lead to a critical situation as power generation will be hit. We will not get uninterrupted power supply if the generation at NLC is affected,” the minister said.
NLC as bad as Sterlite, says PMK prez, calls on TN youth to stage protests
Earlier, speaking at the protest spot, Anbumani Ramadoss slammed both the central and state governments for supporting the NLC. He demanded immediate halt of land acquisition and lamented the absence of farmer associations in the protest, despite their involvement in demonstrations in Delhi.
Ramadoss also said that PMK previously protested for additional compensation for land due to electricity need at that time. However, with the current surplus power situation in TN, NLC is not needed anymore. If NLC continues to acquire land, PMK cadres must block roads indefinitely, he said.
Anbumani Ramadoss called upon youth to organise protests, comparing the danger posed by NLC to that of Sterlite. Nearly 2,000 police personnel were deployed across Cuddalore district under the supervision of North Zone IG Kannan and Villupuram Range DIG Ziaul Haque. As a precautionary measure, traffic on Chennai-Kumbakonam road was halted, and vehicles were rerouted through alternative roads. Shops in Neyveli and nearby villages remained closed.
According to police sources, PMK workers staged protest at 127 places across the state, including five places in Chennai, condemning Anbumani’s arrest. Farmers in Cuddalore district have been agitating for the past few days when earthmovers were used to build canals by destroying standing paddy crop on fields. A senior NLC official said no new land was being acquired and the company was only involved in canal diversion work to prevent inundation in NLC’s mines.
On Wednesday, amid protests by farmers and some political parties, the NLC took up construction of an alternative canal for the Paravanaru River in Bhuvanagiri taluk, with sufficient police protection, to safeguard its mines from flooding during monsoon.
The Cuddalore district administration had already informed the farmers about the NLC work in advance and advised the ryots to refrain from cultivating on the said lands, the company said. Meanwhile, hearing an urgent petition on NLC workers’ strike, the HC on Friday said: “it was agonising to note such incidents (damage of crops) occurred near the place where great saint Vallalar had lived.” Directing the state government to ensure the safety of the NLC, Justice M Dhandapani posted the matter to August 3.
North Zone IG N Kannan, while addressing the media, said that on Friday, PMK cadres resorted to pelting stones on the NLCIL canal work which was under police protection, when Anbumani Ramadoss was detained as a precautionary measure. Fortunately, prompt action by the authorities prevented them from entering the NLCIL premises.
He further informed as a preventive measure, around four hundred individuals were detained in Neyveli, and an additional 800 individuals were detained in Cuddalore and nearby districts. However, it is important to note that all those detained were released in the evening.
Crop damage by NLC cannot be justified: HC
Chennai: Hearing an urgent petition seeking to declare strike by NLC workers’ union as illegal, the HC on Friday asked why NLC couldn’t wait for two months to allow farmers to harvest their crop. “The act of damaging crops cannot be justified though the management may have several reasons for taking possession of land,” Justice M Dhandapani said.