Social worker M.M. Basheer dead

M.M. Basheer (92), a social worker of Vaniyambadi and founder of the Palar Protection People’s Movement died after a prolonged illness in a private hospital in Vaniyambadi on Wednesday.

Involved in campaign

Mr. Basheer was involved for a long time in the campaign for the linking of rivers in order to find a permanent solution to the chronic water scarcity of Vellore district whose lifeline, the Palar River continues to be a dry river on account of the construction of several check dams by the Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka governments.

A.C. Venkatesan, general secretary of the Palar Protection Association who was a close associate of Mr. Basheer recalled that the latter played an active role in getting the Andhra Pradesh government to drop the move to construct a dam across the Palar River in Ganesapuram in Kuppam Assembly constituency.

He pointed out the ill-effects it would cause to the people of Vellore district by permanently depriving them of water that would be available from the Palar River whose groundwater potential feeds the drinking water requirements of many local bodies in the district.

Agitations, campaigns

He achieved this through a series of agitations, campaigns and meetings.

Mr. Basheer is survived by his only daughter and son-in-law.