Dam row boils as TN farmers storm border

KUMILY/ MADURAI: The Mullaperiyar dam row threatened to turn violent on Saturday when about 10,000 people from several Tamil Nadu villages in Cumbum and Gudalur marched to Kumily, the TN-Kerala border.After more than four hours of tension at the border, the villagers agreed to return by 4pm after assurances from TN officials that they would consider sealing all the border check posts with Kerala. Kumily, the quaint town near the Periyar Tiger Reserve, woke up to an eerie morning when reports poured in suggesting that TN farmers were planning a march to the dam. Officials in Kerala’s a Idukki asked shopkeepers to down shutters and told people to remain indoors.By 10am, there were thousands of TN villagers converging at Gudalur from 16 villages.Theni district collector K S Palanichamy and inspector general (south) Rajesh Dass tried to dissuade the protestors — whose number had by then swelled to more than 15,000 — from moving towards Kerala.“The (TN) government is listening to you. Your demands have been taken note of. We will ensure your well-being,” the collector said over a public address system. But not many were listening.Police cordons put up at Gudalur and Kumily lower camp could not stop the surging crowd which trekked uphill to the Kumily border to where Kerala police had sent reinforcements. The Theni officials reached the Kumily border and promised the agitators, which included women, to consider their demand of sealing all check posts that the state shared with Kerala. Finally, around 4pm, the villagers agreed to leave.