Tirupur: A group of farmers staged a protest in the city on Sunday demanding a timeline and action plan for implementing the long-pending Anaimalaiyaru–Nallaru dam project. They warned that PAP farmers’ votes in the upcoming assembly elections would go only to parties that commit funds and a definite schedule.Members of the Anaimalaiyaru–Nallaru Water Rights Movement held a demonstration at Pongalur, insisting that political parties must release a detailed execution plan for the dam project and allocate funds in the first financial year of the new government. Addressing the gathering, movement chief coordinator N S P Vetri said the Anaimalaiyaru–Nallaru scheme was one of the two projects left out of the 11 dam projects envisioned during former chief minister Kamaraj’s tenure. As the project has remained unimplemented for more than 60 years, the movement was launched in 2018 to press for its execution. He said around 4.5 lakh acres of agricultural land in the southern parts of Coimbatore and Tirupur districts depend on the Parambikulam–Aliyar Project (PAP) irrigation system. However, due to recurring water shortages, only about 2.5 lakh acres currently receive irrigation benefits. If the Anaimalaiyaru–Nallaru project is completed, an additional 7 to 8tmc of water could be made available, ensuring full irrigation coverage across the command area, he said. Vetri alleged that political parties have been making promises during every election without taking concrete steps. He claimed that police denied permission for a proposed hunger strike and exerted pressure during Sunday’s protest. Pointing out that 15 assembly constituencies fall under the PAP irrigation region, he said farmers would give a fitting reply through their votes if their demands were ignored.
