Mullaperiyar Dam: Nedumaran, others court arrest

Madurai, May 9 (UNI) Tamil Nationalist Movement president Pazha Nedumaran and other leaders of the Mullaperiyar Dam Rights Retrieval Committee courted arrest demanding immediate implementation of the Supreme Court order, directing raising the storage level in the reservoir to 142 ft.

Janata Dal state general secretary K John Moses and leaders of various Tamil nationalist outfits were among those arrested for resorting to a blockade in the city.

The committee, led by Nedumaran, had been spearheading various struggles to press for compliance with the apex court directive.

It was also for securing the legitimate rights of Tamil Nadu over the dam.

Meanwhile, reports from the dam site at Kumili said the parapet wall of the dam was found damaged for the second time in two months. The recent damage, to an extent of 15 ft, was reported a day after the visit of an expert team from Kerala.

Farmers' leaders in the Periyar-Cumbum valley said the recurrence of such incidents with an alarming frequency had reinforced the demand for deployment of Central police forces instead of the Kerala Police, entrusted with security of the dam now.

UNI