The farmers protested to show dissent and oppose the move to draw water from the Parambikulam-Aliyar Project.
Coimbatore: Opposing the move to draw water for Oddanchatram from the Parambikulam-Aliyar Project (PAP), thousands of farmers staged a protest on the Pollachi-Palladam Road on Tuesday.
The Parambikulam-Aliyar Project is set to irrigate 4.25 lakh acres across Tirupur and Coimbatore districts. Rs.930 crores have been allocated during the last budget session to carry water from the Aliyar Dam near Pollachi to the Oddanchatram area in Dindigul district. The old and new farmers near Aliyar Dam and the Thirumurthy Dam areas have strongly opposed this project.
Initially, the farmers met with officials, including the Minister of Irrigation to demand the abandonment of the project, but thus far no action has been taken to drop the project.
To emphasize the importance of their demand to drop the project, over 2000 farmers from Coimbatore and Tirupur protested on the Pollachi-Palladam Road on Tuesday.
Farmers chanted slogans and carried banners reading "Engal Solaigalai Paalaivanangalaga Matradhe” (Don’t change our Gardens into Deserts).
The protesting farmers emphasized that if water is taken from the Aliyar Dam to the Oddanchatram area, there will be a shortage of drinking water and water for irrigation in the Pollachi area.So, they demanded the Tamil Nadu Government to drop the project.
The Parambikulam-Aliyar Project is set to irrigate 4.25 lakh acres across Tirupur and Coimbatore districts. Rs.930 crores have been allocated during the last budget session to carry water from the Aliyar Dam near Pollachi to the Oddanchatram area in Dindigul district. The old and new farmers near Aliyar Dam and the Thirumurthy Dam areas have strongly opposed this project.
Initially, the farmers met with officials, including the Minister of Irrigation to demand the abandonment of the project, but thus far no action has been taken to drop the project.
To emphasize the importance of their demand to drop the project, over 2000 farmers from Coimbatore and Tirupur protested on the Pollachi-Palladam Road on Tuesday.
Farmers chanted slogans and carried banners reading "Engal Solaigalai Paalaivanangalaga Matradhe” (Don’t change our Gardens into Deserts).
The protesting farmers emphasized that if water is taken from the Aliyar Dam to the Oddanchatram area, there will be a shortage of drinking water and water for irrigation in the Pollachi area.So, they demanded the Tamil Nadu Government to drop the project.