Almost five years have passed ever since the infamous incident of Public Works Department officials attempting to float thermocol sheets on the water in Vaigai dam to prevent evaporation in April 2017. The then Minister and AIADMK sitting legislator Sellur K. Raju, who was the chief guest at the ‘experimental’ event, seems not to have forgotten the ridicule he had to stomach from all around - from the Opposition to the media and meme creators.
At a meeting organised by the AIADMK in Madurai to protest the hike in property taxes on Tuesday, Mr. Raju expressed his anguish over the media harping on the incident. Critics had made fun of him calling him "Madurai Vigyani (scientist)" and "Thermocol-fame Sellur Raju".
Recalling the incident, Mr. Raju said that the southern districts were facing a drought-like situation with fast dwindling storage in the Vaigai dam in 2017.
"I was told by PWD Chief Engineer and the Collector that allowing thermocol sheets to float in the water would prevent its evaporation," he said. After making all the preparations, they invited him to formally inaugurate the event.
"As a responsible Minister and a citizen of Madurai, should I not go for the event? When I asked them, I was told that such experiments had been done in Rajasthan and across the globe," he said.
Stating that he went there based on the statements of the officials, Mr. Raju, however, added that the execution of the project went wrong.
The thin sheets of thermocol that were let to float on the water surface in Vaigai dam were washed ashore within minutes by heavy winds. Subsequently, the engineer was transferred, he recalled.
He complained that while he was made the subject matter of jokes, incumbent Minister for Electricity Senthil Bhalaji was spared much criticism over his claim power cuts in the State were due to "squirrels" gnawing at electricity cables.
The present Local Administration Minister K.N. Nehru said that the Centre had forced the State Government to revise the property tax in Tamil Nadu by "February 31".
"Which year has 31 days for the month of February. No media is making fun of these incidents," he bemoaned and wondered why the [sections of] media that projects people of Madurai as brave men continued to ridicule him.
