Thoothukudi: Anti-nuke activist and founder of Green Tamil Nadu party (Patchai Thamilagam Katchi) Dr S P Udayakumar warned that he along with the farmers and like-minded parties, who constitute a Federation to protect groundwater sources, would lay siege to the Thoothukudi district collector's office if illegal drawing of groundwater is not stopped at once.
Speaking to media persons after a joint meeting of political parties, farmers' associations, Thamirabarani river water protection forum and federation of Groundwater protection at Srivaikundam in Thoothukudi district on Wednesday, Udayakumar charged the district with being indifferent towards the illegal drawing of groundwater from agricultural wells for commercial purposes.
"Around 90 per cent of the water drawn from illegal bore-wells in the district has been supplied to industries," said Udayakumar, who added that despite the court direction to the district collector to take action against illegal sucking of groundwater, the district administration remained complacent.
As this kind of indiscriminate withdrawal of groundwater from agricultural land for industries, add up to the woes of the farmers, who are already reeling under acute water scarcity the district, the collector should immediately intervene to stop the illegal activities, demanded Udayakumar.
The bold anti-nuke activist warned that if the district administration still failed to crack down on the 'groundwater looting by the industries', the farmers along with the all party members and social activists would lay siege to the Thoothukudi district collector's office here on September 18, demanding direct action.
