Chief Minister Jayalalithaa on Saturday announced a solatium of Rs. 3 lakh to the family of Srinivasan, a farmer from Keezhpallathur in Vaniyampadi taluk, who drowned in the Palar on Friday. The body was recovered on Saturday.
DMK president M. Karunanidhi and other political leaders separately condoled Srinivasan’s death.
In an official release, Ms. Jayalalithaa said though some media reports said that the farmer had committed “suicide” claiming that he was unable to bear the sight of construction of a check dam by Andhra Pradesh across the Palar, the Collector and police said he accidentally fell from the check dam and drowned.
Ms. Jayalalithaa said the AIADMK government had filed a petition in 2006 itself in the Supreme Court objecting to the construction of the check dam near Ganesapuram.
“Now the Andhra Pradesh government has raised the level of the check dam from nine feet to 12 feet at Perumpallam in Chittoor district. I have already written a letter to the Centre and the Andhra Pradesh government. As both the governments failed to take any action, we filed a petition in the Supreme Court on July 18,” she said.
According to Ms. Jayalalithaa, raising the dam level without obtaining permission from Tamil Nadu was clearly against the rights of the people of the lower riparian State. “We have sought a direction to prevent the Andhra Pradesh government from constructing dams and ensure flow of water to Tamil Nadu,” she said.
‘Obtain stay order’
In his statement, Mr. Karunanidhi alleged that the AIADMK government approached the Supreme Court for relief only after his party threatened to launch a protest in Vellore.
“Considering the seriousness of the issue, the State government should make a mention about the petition it in the Supreme Court and get a stay order restraining Andhra Pradesh from constructing the check dam,” he said.
Media reports alleged he committed suicide, while the Collector says he accidentally fell into Palar
