Dam protests banned in border town

Thiruvananthapuram: The Mullaperiyar dam row took a violent turn yesterday — forcing the authorities to impose prohibitory orders banning the illegal assembly of people in Kumily, the border town of Kerala's Idukki district where the dam is and the neighbouring Tamil Nadu villages of Kambammedu and Bodimettu.

Also yesterday, Tamil Nadu was preparing a list of Kerala leaders and officials who allegedly took a bribe from the state to permit it to draw more water from the dam than permitted.

Kerala's demand for a new dam in place of the 116-year old leaking one slipped into violence, with a vehicle carrying Tamil workers from a plantation near the dam attacked by an unidentified gang at Kumily on Monday evening. Hundreds of people, including farmers, picketed the Theni-Kumily highway at Gudalur, Kambam and Lower Camp in Tamil Nadu bordering Idukki for nearly 24 hours.

Cafes, shops attacked

They attacked cafes, shops and other establishments run by Malayalees and stoned Kerala-bound vehicles. Trucks transporting milk, vegetables and other perishable goods from the five south Tamil Nadu districts were sent back.

Vehicles were stranded on either side on the border for kilometres.

Both states have deployed large contingents of armed police and the situation had almost been brought under control by yesterday afternoon, said a senior Kerala police official.

"However, vehicles haven't started plying yet. Hectic high-level discussions are on between the Kerala and Tamil Nadu Police to provide protection to vehicles."

The union of farmers in the five Tamil Nadu district has imposed a ban on sending vegetables, milk and other commodities to Kerala. Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu is preparing a list of leaders and officials who have been allegedly bribed by the latter for smuggling more water from the dam than permitted in the past years.

Chief Minister Jayalalitha is reported to have directed her officials to collect the names and submit them to her immediately.

Sources said that a Kerala MLA (Member of Legislative Assembly) from Kochi, a leader of the dam agitation and a retired senior irrigation officer, had taken money or accepted farm land offered by Tamil Nadu in lieu of permitting it to draw excess water. They are digging into old files for more names, he added.

An all-party meeting held under Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy yesterday appealed to the people to desist from any violence.

The meeting, however, reiterated that the state would not budge from its stance that as an immediate step the water level of the dam be reduced to 120ft and subsequently, it be replaced with a new one.