The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Thoraipakkam turns war zone

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Feb 23, 2005

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Thoraipakkam turns war zone

By Our Staff Reporter

CHENNAI, FEB. 22. The Kannagi Nagar junction on Old Mamallapuram Road in Thoraipakkam turned into a war zone in a flash on Tuesday morning.

Fisherfolk from Foreshore Estate, who were moved to makeshift sheds in Kannagi Nagar, Thoraipakkam, took to the streets to protest the lack of basic amenities, including drinking water and public transport. It resulted in traffic on the busy IT Corridor being disrupted for hours from 8.30 a.m.

Frayed tempers

As the mercury soared, tempers frayed and the protesters pelted stones on the stranded vehicles, including that of a revenue official. Policemen in riot gearchased them away.

Once the junction was clear, the policemen hunted down those suspected to have taken part in the protest from inside the nearby shops and put them into vans.

Twenty-seven men and 15 women were rounded up by the police and taken away in three vans.

Broken glass crystals marked the approach to the spot on Old Mamallapuram Road where the police wielded their fibre canes freely.

Onlookers soon deserted the junction as the policemen cracked down on almost everyone in the vicinity.

The original allottees of Kannagi Nagar tenements said they did not have any problem pertaining to water supply. Without disclosing her identity, a woman in the colony said the fisherfolk, brought in about a week ago, had no facilities and they came into the residential colony to fetch water.

The Revenue Divisional Officer, Kavitha Ramu, who spoke to the agitating fisherfolk, said the supply lines were under repair for the past two days.

Additional bus services

The colony received eight lakh litres of water everyday from Akkarai.

She said that four additional bus services to Kannagi Nagar were introduced on Monday and MTC has promised 10 more services. Besides, there were several buses plying along the road.

She said the Slum Clearance Board had been asked to issue no-objection certificates for electrification as well as write to the Metrowater to provide more water supply of four lakh litres a day.

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