PMK President Anbumani Ramadoss along with cadres in a demonstration at Alakkudi near Sirkazhi on Friday.
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Urging the State government to construct check dams across the Kollidam to address recurring drinking water shortages and support agriculture, PMK president Anbumani Ramadoss staged a demonstration at Alakkudi near Sirkazhi on Friday as part of his ongoing 100-day Urimai Meetka Thalaimurai Kakka campaign.
Mr. Anbumani paid a visit to the Kollidam riverbed along with local farmers and claimed that at least 50 tmcft of water flows into the sea annually. “Despite repeated appeals from our party over the years, successive governments have failed to build check dams. If constructed, these structures can benefit farmers in a 20-km radius and provide drinking water security to villages,” he said.
Mr. Anbumani alleged that sand quarrying in the Kollidam was one of the main reasons for the government’s hesitation. “Check dams would prevent free sand extraction. In the last four-and-a-half years, the DMK regime has permitted 26 new sand quarries with the Kollidam accounting for the largest share. Every 4 km, there is a quarry. This government is more interested in revenue from sand than in the welfare of farmers and people,” he alleged.
Warning of intensified protests if the government failed to act, he said: “Weak embankments pose a grave risk during floods. If breaches occur, many villages will be wiped out. The DMK government seeks only votes, but does little to ensure people’s safety.”
Published – September 19, 2025 08:26 pm IST
