Farmers protest near Fort St. George in Chennai, evicted by police
The Hindu
The farmers were protesting against the Outer Ring Road project in Tiruchi, which, they say, is destroying 13 lakes that serve as a source of irrigation
Farmers who attempted to undertake a fast-unto-death near Fort St. George, the seat of the Tamil Nadu Assembly, in Chennai, were arrested by the police and taken into preventive custody.
On Tuesday morning, members of the Thamizhaga Vivasayigal Sangam, led by its president, M.P. Chinnadurai, assembled near the entrance of the Fort and began sloganeering, urging the State government to fulfill their demands that included stopping the Outer Ring Road project being implemented in Tiruchi city. Immediately, the police arrested them and took them in a police vehicle to a wedding hall.
Mr. Chinnadurai said the authorities were destroying 13 lakes by dumping debris, to lay the Outer Ring Road for free flow of traffic in Tiruchi city. The destruction of the lakes would deprive the farmers of their livelihoods, as they depend on the water from the lakes for irrigation. Despite repeated petitions, the authorities had failed to find any solution to the problems of over-flooding in Ariyaru, Koraiyaru, Kudamuruti, Uyyakondan and Kodingal rivers, he added.
As many 17 members of the association were arrested and detained. They said they would continue their agitation.