Faeces found floating in Adi Dravidar village tank in Pudukottai
The Hindu
Drinking water from the tank was being supplied to people belonging to Adi Dravidar community
Faeces was found floating in an overhead tank supplying drinking water to Adi Dravidar families at Vengaivayal in the Muthukadu panchayat in Pudukottai district on Monday.
The panchayat president filed a complaint with the police in what is being seen as a “wanton act”.
The incident came to light when villagers checked the tank after a few children were taken to hospital as they complained of uneasiness after drinking water a couple of days ago. The villagers were apparently told at the hospital that water contamination could be the cause. Following this, a section of residents climbed the overhead tank only to find the faecal matter floating inside. They alerted revenue officials.
The Block Development Officer of Annavasal, Anandan; Kulathur Tahsildar S. Sakthivelu; and police personnel from the Vellanur station visited Vengaivayal for an inspection. The CPI(M) MLA for Gandharvakottai also visited the village.
The contaminated water was drained from the nearly 10,000-litre tank, which was cleaned up twice with chlorine powder. As a temporary measure, a plastic tank was filled with drinking water to supply to the villagers, an official said, adding that the incident appeared to be an “wanton act”.
Another official said water would be filled in the overhead tank and supplied to the villagers only after a sample was sent to determine whether it was free of contamination. Police sources said a complaint was filed by the Muthukadu panchayat president at the Vellanur station and the matter was under investigation.
Congress Legislature Party leader K. Selvaperunthagai urged Chief Minister M.K. Stalin to deal firmly with those who contaminated the water. Cases should be filed against them under the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
“We are judges and therefore, cannot act like Mughals of a bygone era ... the writ courts in the guise of doing justice cannot transcend the barriers of law,” the High Court of Karnataka observed while setting aside an order of a single judge, who in 2016 had extended the lease of a public premises allotted to a physically challenged person to 20 years contrary to 12-year period stipulated in the law.
The High Court of Karnataka on Monday declined to interfere, at present, in the investigation against a Bharatiya Janata Party worker, who is among the accused persons facing charges of circulating obscene clips, related to “morphed” images and videos clips related to Prajwal Revanna, former Hassan MP, in public domain through pen drives and other modes.
The 16th edition of Bhoomi Habba was held on June 8, at the Visthar campus. The festival drew a vibrant crowd who came together to celebrate eco-consciousness through a variety of engaging activities, creative workshops, panel discussions, interactive exhibits and performances, all centered around this year’s theme: “Save Water, Save Lives.”