Shenbagavalli dam: Farmers to fight jointly for rights

Chennai: Farmers belonging to Tirunelveli district have formed a struggle committee to safeguard the rights of the state in Shenbagavalli checkdam.

The dam constructed in 1773 is providing water to irrigate 11,000 acres, besides giving drinking water to Tirunelveli district. A section of the dam was damaged and Kerala refused to rebuild it, returning the money given by Tamil Nadu government for the purpose.

Sivagiri Farmers Association had filed a petition in the Madras High Court demanding the renovation of the dam. The court gave a direction to Kerala government to renovate the dam in eight weeks and submit a report. But, the Kerala government did not respect the order of Chennai High Court. The farmers association alleged that the Kerala government had demolished a part of the checkdam wall.

The farmers have formed the ‘Shenbagavalli dam rights retrieval committee’ mobilising people’s support in the area to stop sending vegetables, eggs, sand, straw, cattle and oil to Kerala.

A meeting was held by the farmers associations and resolutions calling for protests and mobilise support for the protests was passed at the meeting. Farmers from three districts Tirunelveli, Virudhunagar and Tuticorin attended the meeting and spoke about the need for protests to save the rights of Tamil Nadu over Shenbagavalli dam.