The perennial river of Tamirabharani, which enriched both Tamil literature and everyone having close association with the river over the past several centuries, has been let down by all by allowing rampant sand quarrying by the sand mafia on the riverbed, veteran Communist Party of India leader R. Nallakannu has said.
Addressing a public meeting held at Palayamkottai on Tuesday night to confer the title ‘Dharma Thalaivar' on him by ‘Tamirabharani' for having obtained a five-year ban from the Madurai Bench of Madras High Court on sand mining on the perennial riverbed, the veteran CPI leader said the rulers, who should be lovers of nature, should strive to conserve natural wealth like the Tamirabharani.
Though the perennial river enriched Tamil literature and those living on its banks, nobody, including the government, took efforts to protect it from being murdered by the sand mafia, which was trying its level best to vacate the ban.
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“It is our prime duty to protect the Tamirabharani from being killed by a group of people with vested interests and hence I argued the case before the court with the objective of conserving it for the future generation. It is only my duty and hence I didn't accept your garlands and crown when you offered it as a token of your love and affection towards me. If we fail to conserve the natural wealth at least now, our future generation will be badly affected,” Mr. Nallakannu warned.
All India president of ‘Tamirabharani' and former civil servant V. Sundaram and personal assistant of Mahatma Gandhi, V. Kalyanam conferred the title on Mr. Nallakannu in the presence of former Director General of Police, Fire and Rescue Services, R. Nataraj, CPI leader C. Mahendran, founder, ‘Tamirabharani' T. Balasubramania Adityan, Rector, St. Xavier's Educational Institutions, Palayamkottai Rev. Fr. Britto Vincent SJ and others spoke.