Efforts by the Kerala Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (Kinfra) to resume pipe-laying for the 45-million-litres-per-day (MLD) water supply project from Thottumugham on the banks of the Periyar to Kinfra’s Export Promotion Industrial Park near Infopark, Kakkanad, had to be halted following protests by Congress MLAs and activists on Tuesday.
Dramatic scenes unfolded at the work site at Thottumugham after MLAs Anwar Sadath and Uma Thomas led a protest march around 11 a.m. The Kinfra authorities had sought additional police deployment after efforts to start pipe-laying work were disrupted by Congress MLAs and workers on February 19. They had alleged that the government was adamant on going ahead with the project to meet the needs of industrial units at Kinfra park in Kakkanad without addressing the serious water scarcity faced by residents.
Though the police stopped Congress party workers from proceeding towards the worksite, Mr. Sadath and Ms. Thomas went ahead and protested against the digging work. Mr. Sadath sat on the arm of the earthmover, prompting workers to stop work immediately. Two Congress workers protested by sitting inside the pipe. The work was called off after District Collector N.S.K. Umesh asked the Kinfra authorities to stop the work in view of the protest.
Mr. Sadath said the party would stage a march to the office of Industries Minister P. Rajeeve at Kalamassery on March 7, if the government refused to address their demands. “The government can go ahead with the project, if there is adequate water in the Periyar after completing the much-delayed 190-MLD project in Aluva to meet the increasing drinking water requirements of the public. They could also tap resources available in the Kadambrayar to meet the requirements of the industrial units,” he said.
The people’s collective against the project said it would step up agitation in the coming days. The government was trying to curb protests by using force, it said in a communication.
