Rally to mark fifth anniversary of Mullaperiyar stir

  Hundreds of people participated in a rally organised by the Mullaperiyar Action Council here on the fifth anniversary of its relay hunger strike on Sunday. The rally started from nearby junction Alady on the Kattappana-Kottayam road by 3.30 p.m. culminated at the venue of the council here.

Addressing the public, chairman of the Council C. P. Roy said that those offering the hunger strike should not be considered as agitators or fighters. They were people who yearn for a solution to the issue vexing them. A peaceful solution to the issue could be made by changing the present position of the tunnel connecting the reservoir to Tamil Nadu so that Tamil Nadu could draw more water from the existing dam while the fears of the people here were addressed. He said that the dead water storage could be reduced if the tunnel connecting the pen stock pipes to Tamil Nadu was shifted.

It was a proposal accepted by the main farmers' organisation representing the five district of Tamil Nadu where the water from the dam is used for irrigation purposes.

Mr. Roy appealed the administration not to allow them to observe the sixth anniversary. What was required was a peaceful solution to the issue while addressing the fears of those who live in the downstream of the Mullaperiyar dam.