TN: Poor handling of dept behind power crisis

Tiruchirapalli, Dec 3: Tamil fortnightly 'Puthiyaparvai' editor M Natarajan said Tamil Nadu Electricity Minister Arcot N Veerasamy's ''poor handling'' of the department has resulted in the present power crisis in the state.

Speaking at a press conference here last night Mr Natarajan, the estranged husband of AIADMK supremo Jayalalithaa's confidante Ms Sasikala, alleged that the Minister was ''not discharging'' his duties, but following Chief Minister M Karunanidhi as his ''shadow.'' Stating that the state had been made a 'scapegoat'' in the Cauvery water issue, he said nationalisation of rivers was the only lasting solution to the water woes of the state.

The editor said he would undertake 'padayatras' to protect the interests of the state in the Mullaperiyar and Palar water disputes with neighbouring Kerala and Andhra Pradesh respectively.

He urged the state government to take stringent actions to prevent the ''upswing'' in communal clashes.

UNI