It was an occasion for the Tamil television channel reporters to personally see the peaceful atmosphere prevailing in border areas in Idukki district and in Vandiperiyar. The district administration had arranged the reporters to visit the areas as there were canards spreading in Tamil Nadu regarding the condition of those Tamil residents in the district and the team also held a meeting with District Collector E. Devadasan at Vandiperiyar on Tuesday.
They also visited the Government Upper Primary School in Vandiperiyar, where the people of Tamil origin have a majority presence. The headmaster, who is a native of Marthandam in Tamil Nadu told the team that there is no issue prevailing in the area and “of around 400 students 95 percent of them regularly reach the school''. The team also interacted with the school students and enquired about their well being.
They also interacted with the Tamil workers including women in Vandiperiyar. The women urged the team to help them to reach their home in Tamil Nadu on holidays and allow them to visit the wards studying at various schools there. “Because of the alleged propaganda that there were violence and atrocities on Tamils at Vandiperiyar, we cannot move safely to Tamil Nadu and return and you should all help us to move freely,'' they said.
The District Collector informed them that he hoped for a peaceful atmosphere in Tamil Nadu also. The district administration and the police are strong here to deal with any kind of atrocities on Tamil natives living in the district. He said that 24-hours control rooms were functioning in all village offices in Udumpanchola taluk entirely to pass message of any kind of provocation against Tamil residents in the district.
