DMK cadre stage stir for water, 600 held

COIMBATORE: As many as 600 DMK cadres were arrested for besieging the corporation on Wednesday, demanding regular supply of drinking water.

As announced earlier by the district DMK party, their cadres along with residents from the suburbs of the city, staged a protest and besieged the corporation office along with water pots led by Singanallur constituency MLA N. Karthick.

The protestors said that they have taken this step to urge the corporation officials to take steps to resolve the water crisis affecting the city.

The protestors raised slogans demanding withdrawal of the contract signed with a private French company Suez, for distributing drinking water across the city.

The protestors waved party flags and held bright plastic pots over their heads to make a vivid display of the protest against the water crisis.

When they made an attempt to enter the corporation building police deployed for protection arrested them.

MLA Karthick told DC that drinking water supply has to be regularized. Water is supplied once a month in the suburbs of Coimbatore, and that too, only for a few minutes. All water bodies are encroached in the name of desilting, and tons of sand has been smuggled out by city-based NGOs.

The contract made with Suez company, and that too, based on kickbacks has to be withdrawn immediately and AIADMK minister SP Velumani has to claim responsibility for leaving Tamil Nadu in drought and resign, added the MLA.Former minister Pongalur N. Palanisamy and party functionaries were present during the protest.