: As many as 150 villagers of three panchayats – Avarangkuppam, Pullur and Thimmampet – tried to stage a protest against the Andhra Pradesh government’s move to raise the height of the 22nd check dam constructed across the Palar.
“We went to the spot on Friday morning to stage a protest on our side of the border but police personnel attached to the Vaniyambadi station stopped us from doing so. They promised to take the issue to the notice of the Collector on Monday,” A.C. Dinakaran, panchayat president of Avarangkuppam, said.
Meanwhile, the Andhra Pradesh government has deployed police force at the dam site, villagers said.
Mr. Dinakaran said the villagers were aware of the work but did not expect that the check dam’s height to be increased to 12 feet.
“They also promised to lay pipelines from the dam for farmers here. But they have not kept up the promise,” he said.
The villages were already facing acute scarcity of water, both for drinking and irrigation purposes and this would worsen the situation. “This work should be stopped immediately. They are also trying to claim ownership of the temple here. The State government should act quickly on this issue,” he said.
After visiting the spot on Friday, R. Mullai, district secretary of Tamil Nadu Vivasaigal Sangam, said the newly constructed portion of the dam should be demolished immediately as it would affect Vellore district, which was already facing water shortage. Official sources said the Public Works Department had sent a report to the State government.
‘Vaniyambadi police stopped us when we tried to protest at the spot on our side of the border’
