‘Complete groyne construction to save village from sea erosion’

Tamil Nadu Assembly Speaker M. Appavu at the Makkaludan Mudhalvar programme at Kudankulam in Tirunelveli district on Thursday. | Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

The Idinthakarai villagers have appealed to the State Government to complete the groyne construction in their village at the earliest to save their coastal hamlet from sea erosion.

Submitting a petition to Speaker M. Appavu and District Collector K. P. Karthikeyan during the ‘Makkaludan Mudhalvar’ event organized at Kudankulam on Thursday, the Idinthakarai villagers said their hamlet was on the verge of being washed away by sea erosion as the groyne construction was not scientifically done. The sea erosion had worsened after dykes were formed in nearby Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project (KKNPP). Since the boulders had been stacked in the sea for about a kilometer for constructing the dyke for supplying water for cooling purposes and discharging the hot water from the nuclear reactor, sea erosion at Idinthakarai had intensified further.

“After the existing jetty of KKNPP could not efficiently serve the purpose of unloading over-dimensional components for the nuclear reactor and other allied units, a new jetty is being formed by stacking boulders in the sea. And, the latest construction inside the sea has taken the sea erosion at Idinthakarai to unmanageable proportions. Hence, the State Government should take immediate steps for completing groyne around Idinthakarai to save the village,” the petitioners said.

They also alleged that the hot water being discharged by the KKNPP into the sea had polluted the seawater and destroyed marine wealth.

Fishermen from other coastal hamlets also submitted petitions with similar appeal.

Mr. Appavu assured the Idinthakarai villagers that he would take-up this issue with the KKNPP administration and also the Tamil Nadu Government to save the village from sea erosion. He also urged the district and the police administration to withdraw all the cases registered against the anti-KKNPP protestors in 2010 and 2011.

“Moreover, the KKNPP will be urged to recruit only the locals and land-losers for its ‘C’ category jobs as these people have given their land for the upcoming nuclear park,” Mr. Appavu said.

In the ‘Makkaludan Mudhalvar’ progamme held at South Kazhugumalai village panchayat under Kayathar union in Thoothukudi district, MP Kanimozhi, Minister for Social Welfare P. Geetha Jeevan, District Collector G. Lakshmipathy, Superintendent of Police L. Balaji Saravanan, Additional Collector R. Aishwarya and Mayor Jegan Periyasamy participated.

“The villagers can get 44 services from the government departments by submitting petitions, which will be disposed off within 30 days,” Ms. Kanimozhi said.

In Kanniyakumari district, Minister for Dairy Development T. Mano Thangaraj and District Collector P.N. Sridhar participated in the ‘Makkaludan Mudhalvar’ event organised at Thickanamcode village.

Tenkasi District Collector A.K. Kamal Kishore participated in a similar event at Sankarankovil.