The State government will approach the Supreme Court if Kerala goes ahead with its plan for dams across inter-State rivers, affecting the interests of the people of Tamil Nadu, Minister for Public Works Department K.V. Ramalingam said on Sunday.
The Chief Minister had already written to the Prime Minister, urging him to stop Kerala from proceeding with the Attapadi Irrigation Scheme or any other scheme on the river Siruvani, he told reporters. The Minister further said that the State would not give up its rights with regard to Mullaperiyar and Siruvani. The government had provided 12 hours of three-phase power supply to farmers in the delta, considering the low storage of water in the Mettur dam, he added.
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In Tirupur, MDMK general secretary Vaiko along with his party workers conducted a vehicle campaign on Sunday to sensitise and mobilise farmers/people in Tirupur and Karur districts against the Kerala government plan to construct check dams across rivers that carry water to Amaravathi Dam.
About 200 two-wheelers and over 125 vans/cars covered a total of 25 hamlets from Amaravathi Nagar in Tirupur district to Chinna Dharapuram in Karur district. Mr Vaiko explained to the farmers that if Kerala went ahead with its plan to construct seven check dams across the tributaries of ‘Pambar’ and ‘Thennar’ rivers, it would have a cascading effect on the riparian rights of farmers along areas fed by water from the dam.
According to him, the construction of check dams would affect the irrigation potential over 60,000 acres and bring down supply for 50 drinking water projects in the command area of Amaravathi Dam.
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He reiterated his party stand that check dams across any river or its tributaries that carry water to the dam would be opposed strongly. “It is indeed disturbing that though Kerala is meeting a majority of its requirement for vegetables, egg, milk and many other edible items because of the supply from Tamil Nadu, the government there has been frequently trying to construct dams across inter-State rivers against the interests of farmers in Tamil Nadu,” he said.