Funds sanctioned for dam across Ponnai, but work yet to start, complain farmers

Members of Tamil Nadu Farmers Association submitted a petition in a thamboolam plate seeking the construction of a dam across Ponnai river, during the agricultural grievance redressal daymeeting at the Vellore collectorate on Friday.

Farmers with a thamboolam plate approached District Revenue Officer (DRO) J Parthiban, who was chairing the meeting in the absence of Vellore Collector SA Raman and requested him to construct a dam across the Ponnai.

Farmers in their petition stated that after many agitations and several rounds of talks with the state government, the State finally accepted their proposal and also surveyed the land between Palleri and Kotanatham villages. The claimed that though the State government sanctioned Rs 10,000 crore for the project some years ago, no action was initiated after that.

They pointed out that due to the lack of flow in the 20-km-long supply channel, lands adjacent to it had turned fallow. To add to the woes of the farmers, the dried lands were used as a pretext to quarry sand from the area.

Hence the water table dipped sharply, thereby allowing ‘Seemai Karuvelan’ plants to grow. So, the dam should be constructed across the Ponnai as early as possible,they added.