Kanchi locals agitate against extraction of groundwater by pvt tanker lorries

While there is a huge water scarcity in the Kancheepuram district, people across the district fail to even get water for their regular use. The locals alleged that the tanker lorries are paying a small amount to the farmers and extracting water from the well using motors.

Stating that it would be helpful if the water is provided to the people who are suffering, Nandha Kumar from Urapakkam said, “But the private lorry owners are supplying water to the hotels, crushers and factories.”

“We planned to clean the Karanaipuduchery big lake on our own a few months back and also started the work. But the officials intercepted and did not allow us to continue the work,” Nandha Kumar said.

“Recently a few days back, hundreds of villagers gathered and planned to block the GST Road to protest against the tanker lorries but they were again intercepted by the police before they reached the GST Road and the plan got spoiled,” he said.

The locals said that the officials should control the lorries from extracting water as this has led to a situation where they had to dig borewells upto 300 feet or more to find ground water.

When contacted, the Chengalpattu Tahsildar Shankar said, “The water problem is everywhere and it is difficult to control the lorries from taking water. But if they use the water for the commercial purposes then we will seize the lorry and take appropriateaction.”