The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : It's time Centre intervened: Ramadoss

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Jul 30, 2004

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

It's time Centre intervened: Ramadoss

By Our Special Correspondent

VILLUPURAM, JULY 29. The Pattali Makkal Katchi founder-leader, S. Ramadoss, today alleged that the law and order situation had deteriorated and the administration had come to a standstill in the State. Increasing incidents of murders and robberies had made the people feel insecure, and particularly women dread to stay alone at home.

Addressing a press conference at Thailapuram, near here, Dr. Ramadoss said the finances were in bad shape and the freedom of speech and writing were denied. It was time the Centre intervened to take suitable remedial measures.

He said that by curtailing the Assembly session for just a week, the ruling All-India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) Government had throttled the voice of democracy. As the Opposition members were not allowed to speak on vital issues, they had now gone to the "people's assembly" to air their views.

Dr. Ramadoss pointed out that it was ironical that on the day (on July 27) the Chief Minister, Jayalalithaa, made a statement that Tamil Nadu was remaining a haven of peace, several unpalatable incidents were reported. These included the bomb attack on the Puthiya Tamizhagam leader, K. Krishnasamy, triple murders in a court complex, killing of a jeweller's wife at Virudhunagar and a chain-snatching incident at the Meenambakkam airport. However, the Chief Minister was portraying a rosy picture.

Sceptical of action

Dr. Ramadoss said that going by the past experience it was doubtful whether the Governor, P.S. Ramamohan Rao, would take any action on the representation (highlighting the deteriorating law and order situation) given by the Opposition members today.

Mettur water

Dr. Ramadoss accused the AIADMK Government of deliberately delaying the water release from the Mettur dam on two counts — it wanted to avenge the delta farmers who did not vote for the party candidates in the Parliamentary elections and it did not want the Democratic Progressive Alliance to get credit for the release.

If the Government did not release water before August 19, it should own the responsibility for crop loss.

`Water theft'

The PMK leader said that contrary to an assurance given by the Chief Minister that only surplus water from the Veeranam tank would be tapped for the New Veeranam Project, 50 deep borewells had been sunk to carry water to Chennai. This was a clear case of "water theft." He charged the Government with violating its own order prohibiting indiscriminate exploitation of groundwater.

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