The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Cuddalore News : Brimming Veeranam tank poses an unusual problem<p>

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Apr 23, 2005

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Cuddalore

Brimming Veeranam tank poses an unusual problem

A.V. Ragunathan

Surrounding villagers now have no place to inter their dead

CUDDALORE: The unusual water level of 46.6 feet in the Veeranam tank at this point of time may be good news to the residents of Chennai, but not to the residents of five villages dotting along the tank.

True to the saying that one man's gain is another man's loss, these villagers are now strangely denied of a graveyard. For, the tank has been serving as a burial ground, and at times a crematorium, for generations to about 700 families living in the Veyalur Colony, Veyalur Chavadi, Paripoornanatham, Valakkollai and Koolapadi.

These villages are situated at the tail-end of the tank, not far away from the Boothangudi pumping station, from where water is being tapped at the rate of 180 million litres a day for Chennai under the New Veeranam project.

Prior to the implementation of the project, the villagers were in the habit of burying those who died a natural death and cremating those who met with tragic end, including suicide, at five places on the tank bed.

Since, the bunds are quite steep, on their requests the Public Works Department (who used to be the sole custodian of the tank before the Metrowater came into the picture) had provided flights of steps at five points to facilitate the villagers to carry the bodies without difficulty for the last rites.

During monsoon, the villagers encountered problems owing to water storage.

But to overcome the hurdle, they indigenously raised a platform with sandbags and spread the firewood and dung cakes along with discarded tyres to cremate the bodies.

Once this ritual was over, they pushed the remnants into the water.

But now with the tank remaining constantly full almost to the brim for the past few months, thanks to the ingenuity of the officials, the villagers are at their wits' end as to how to dispose of the bodies.

They are also concerned that the existing graves too might have been disturbed.

Until the closure of the Mettur Dam on February 28, the tank level remained at 45 feet (as the water let into the Coleroon was fed into the tank through the Vadavar) and the recent summer showers in Perambalur and Namakkal districts and the catchment areas of the Bhavani Sagar came in handy for the officials to divert the water to replenish the tank.

Today the level stood at 46.6 feet as against the maximum of 47.5 feet.

On this day last year, the tank was barren. On learning about the problem, the Collector, Gagandeep Singh Bedi, inspected the place a couple of days ago.

On his oral orders, the Tahsildar had identified four places adjoining the tank that could be used as a graveyard. But the villagers would have to wait till the land transfer formalities are finalised.

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Brimming Veeranam tank poses an unusual problem