Stop supplying Tamirabarani water to units in Thoothukudi, demand ryots

Addressing reporters at CPM party office in Thoothukudi, Shanmugam said that the top priority of officials regarding water supply should be given for drinking purpose and then water should be supplied for farming. Only if there is abundant water they should be supplied for industries. 

“But in Thoothukudi the reverse is happening as industries are given priority in water supply from Tamirabarani river. For instance Sterlite Copper alone is supplied 1.35 crore liters of water every day from the river,” he said. 

If the situation continues, there would be no water for drinking and farming in the district. So, the Thoothukudi district administration should stop supplying drinking water for industries immediately and stressing the demand the farmers are going to gherao Srivaikuntam dam, on Tamirabarani river, on May 10, said Shanmugam. 

When asked about setting up of the Cauvery Management Board, he blamed the Union government for refusing to form the board just because of the upcoming Karanataka Assembly elections. He also criticised the state government for being a mute spectator in the issue. 

He also came down heavily on the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) which had recently sent a notification to all the public sector banks to cancel the waiver in interest provided to farmers in the farm loans.

Like the jallikattu protests youngsters of the state would definitely take up the anti-Sterlite issue till the final closure of Sterlite Copper said Director Samuthirakani in Thoothukudi on Sunday. Samuthirakani, who attended a marriage in Our Lady of Snows Shrine Basilica in Thoothukudi, met the protesters, who are protesting inside the church campus. 

After expressing solidarity with them he addressed reporters in which he said that the anti-Sterlite protests is going on for 23 years and because it is happening in a silent manner it is not known to other parts of the state. He also said that the protesters gave the list of people who died of cancer due to Sterlite Copper and in the list one of them had died on Sunday and two on Saturday. What is more pathetic is that the deaths due to cancer are recorded as natural deaths by the hospitals and the truth is kept hidden. He further said that soon the youngsters in the state would take up issue.