Tension in Chief Minister’s constituency

DMK cadre object to silt being lifted from a lake that they had earlier desilted

High Drama: A DMK cadre scaling a cell phone tower in protest.

Tension prevailed for a major part of Tuesday in Konganapuram town and surrounding areas in the Chief Minister’s Edappadi Assembly constituency as farmers owing allegiance to the ruling All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) started lifting silt from the dry Kacharayan lake, which was desilted by the DMK cadre in the recent past.

DMK working president M. K. Stalin is to visit the lake on Thursday (July 27) to see for himself the desilting work undertaken and completed by the Salem West district unit cadre.

S. R. Sivalingam, secretary of the Salem west district unit of the DMK, wrote to the district authorities seeking permission for the desilting and beautification of the lake way back on June 26 and commenced the work on June 28 and completed it in 10 days. About 400 DMK cadre participated in the desilting work every day and completed the project on July 8. They had also strengthened the bunds, the party sources said.

Meanwhile, farmers, said to be supporters of the ruling party, had sought permission from the official machinery for lifting of silt from the Kacharayan lake on Monday evening and they entered the lake with earthmovers and tractors and started lifting the silt on Tuesday morning. They also displayed the party flags in the lake.

When the DMK men attempted to rush to the lake, the police prevented them. The DMK leaders then brought this to the notice of the higher authorities.

Meanwhile, P. Rajan, Superintendent of Police; Ashok Kumar, Additional SP; and T. Ramadurai Murugan, Revenue Divisional Officer, Sankagiri, held discussion with the representatives of both the parties at the Sankagiri RDO office on Tuesday. The DMK leaders urged the authorities to direct the ruling party men to stop damaging the lake and evict them.

When the deadlock continued, the DMK leaders and the cadre came out of the meeting hall in the evening and rushed to Konganapuram. A strong police force is said to have blocked the vehicles of the DMK men at Konganapuram roundabout.

The DMK men stood at the spot for a couple of hours and refused to disperse. Due to this, traffic to Konganapuram was totally paralysed.

Later, on receiving information that the AIADMK supporters had left the lake, the DMK men dispersed at about 5 p.m.