Residents of Navaladiyur and Thoppadiyur villages in Srivaikuntam taluk petitioned at the weekly grievance redressal meeting held at the district collectorate on Monday, claiming that they have not received drinking water for the past five years, despite living along the banks of the Thamirabarani river.

The villagers arrived at the Collectorate with empty pots symbolising the drinking water scarcity in their region and to emphasise their demand. In their petition they stated, “Though our villages lie on the banks of the Thamirabarani river and the drinking water pipelines running past our area, we have not received water from the river for the past five years.”

The villagers added that they are forced to fetch water from nearby villages, leading to unnecessary conflicts.

They noted that they have petitioned about the issue multiple times in the past and no concrete action has been taken to resolve it. The villagers urged the authorities to make arrangements to provide them with river water for drinking and other purposes.

A group of Fisherman who came the Thoothukudi Collectorate on Monday demanding reopening of Sterlite plant.
| Photo Credit:
N. RAJESH

In another petition, a group of fishermen from Thoothukudi submitted a petition at the meeting, to reopen the Sterlite Copper plant in Thoothukudi.

The fishermen were led by Samshudheen from Therespuram, Selvam from Cruz Puram and Thangam, who was injured during the police firing at the anti sterlite rally.

The petition stated, “Sterilite, which operated in Thoothukudi for many years, implemented several welfare and development schemes for the fishing community. Some individuals spread misinformation about the company, which led us to join the protest against it.”

They added that with the closure of Sterlite Copper in Thoothukudi, thousands of people have lost their employment. They urged the Tamil Nadu government to pass a special resolution in the assembly and take steps to reopen the Sterlite plant, considering the livelihood of people in the region the nation’s copper requirements.

The District Revenue Officer A. Ravichandran chaired the meeting and received petitions from the public.