Two women farmers in Punalkadu, a small tribal hamlet along the Girivalam path on the outskirts of Tiruvannamalai town, jumped into a farm well in the village on Monday, opposing the construction of a compound wall around the upcoming integrated compost yard in the village.
Police said the residents had been opposing the project in the village for over two months after Collector B. Murugesh gave the nod for the construction of a new dump yard in the village. However, despite several rounds of talks between residents and revenue officials, the issue remained unresolved.
A fortnight ago, agitating residents also met E.V. Velu, State Minister for Public works, Highways and Minor Ports, and urged him to drop the project. Subsequently, along with residents, the district administration were asked to locate an alternative site for the new dump yard. “Most of the residents in the village (Punalkadu) are farmers and depend on borewells and nearby lakes for irrigation. The new landfill site will ruin our livelihoods,” said K. Ponnuammal, a resident.
