Farmers led by the Tamizhaga Cauvery Vivasayigal Sangam on Wednesday took out a protest march to the inter-State border slamming the Karnataka government’s Mekadatu dam project. The march was, however, scuttled by the police, with the rallying protesters indulging in a scuffle with the policemen deployed en route.
A little over 50 farmers led by P.R. Pandian, general secretary, Tamizhaga Cauvery Vivasayigal Sangam, had begun the rally from Tiruvarur at the tail-end of Cauvery delta on January 18, intending to cross over the inter-State border in Hosur to march to Mekadatu, the site of the contested project.
According to the farmers, the Centre should revoke the permission given to that State government to prepare a draft project report, and reiterate the rights of lower riparian States that would be hit, if the project came to fruition.
Tamizhaga Cauvery Vivasayigal Sangam also demanded that the Tamil Nadu government construct a dam in Rasimanal near Hogenakkal, a project long conceived by the government but was not taken forward for implementation, according to the protesters.
The protesters also slammed the Karnataka’s opposition led by the Congress that had commenced a march of its own to urge their State government led by the BJP to expedite the dam in Mekadatu.The protesters were stopped near Mookandapalli..
