Tamil Nadu outfits protest Kerala move to build dam on Siruvani river

Coimbatore: Thanthai Periyar Dravidar Kazhagam (TPDK) on Thursday said it will block the Kerala-bound trains and supplies of vegetables and all essential commodities to its neighbouring state if the Kerala government were to fail to withdraw dam project on Siruvani river.
TPDK general secretary K Ramakrishnan said Kerala government had piled the construction materials at Chittoor village in Palakkad district to construct the new dam across Siruvani river.The move will affect Coimbatore and Tirupur districts. "If the dam is constructed, people of Coimbatore won't get drinking water and farmers of Coimbatore and Tirupur will suffer," he said . "We would conduct intensive protest against Kerala government and will block the supplies of essential commodities to Kerala," he added.
On Thursday , more than 59 people from TPDK, Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK), Aam Aadmi Party, Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI), Tamil Nadu Telungu Makkal Katchi, Tamil Puligal, Welfare party of India, Kongunadu Jananayaka Katchi (KJK) and farmers and traders associations headed towards Agali in Kerala state to reach Chittoor village where Kerala plans to construct a dam across the Siruvani river. All of them were stopped at Mangarai check post by the rural police and the police did not allow the protesters to progress any further.
So, the 59 people conducted a road roko on Anaikatti Road for at least 20 minutes. Police blocked the traffic in the road. The protesters raised slogans against the Kerala government for its plan to construct the dam. The police arrested the protesters who were later let off.
Meanwhile, around 150 members of Puthiya Tamilagam Katchi conducted a protest in front of South Taluk office here on Thursday. Party founder K Krishnasamy said the proposed dam across Siruvani river would affect Western Tamil Nadu. The Tamil Nadu state government should organise all parties' meeting over the new dam issue and should give pressure to the union government to stop the dam project.
Around 100 people from Uzhavar Uzhaipalar Katchi staged a protest in front of Uzhavar Sandhai at Singanallur and demanded the same.