THENI
The peace talk held between members of Lakshmipuram panchayat committee and representatives of R. Subburaj, a close associate of former Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam, who assured to offer the land and the well against which the villagers have been protesting, free of cost to villagers, failed on Wednesday.
The villagers were irked by the permission sought by the representatives of Subburaj to dig another well close by.
The in-camera meeting at Lakshmipuram panchayat office lasted for more than an hour in the evening. The village committee members announced that they would resume the agitation on Saturday.
When Lakshmipuram residents had managed to get the support of 18 other villages to their protest and planned a massive agitation against Mr. Panneerselvam, the representatives of Subburaj convened a confidential meeting with village committee members at Kailasapatti near Periyakulam and discussed the issue for an hour.
When the first round of talks failed, they again assembled at Lakshmipuram village panchayat office to discuss it further. Four members from each side took part in it.
Former panchayat president Karthikeyan said the other side agreed to offer the well but sought permission from the villagers to dig another well. The villagers rejected the request and proposed to settle the amount for the entire land around the well. The other side would have to take a decision within two days. If they failed to sell or hand over the land and the well to the villagers, the agitation would be started, he added.
The row over the land that came to an end on July 26 surfaced again on August 6 as Lakshmipuram residents observed a fast at the village condemning the inordinate delay in handing over the land to the panchayat.
The residents had been protesting against digging of an open well in the land near the Varattaru in Thamaraikulam village of Lakshmipuram panchayat since June 21.
P. Vijaylakshmi, wife of Mr. Panneerselvam, had transferred the land and the well to Subburaj who, in turn, assured to hand over them to the residents of Lakshmipuram free of cost last month.
