Kerala - Palakkad   

Vehicles blocked at Walayar

Staff Reporter

Agitation began around noon and continued late into the evening

PALAKKAD: Vehicular movement came to a standstill on the State Highway bordering the Walayar check-post in Palakkad district for over 12 hours on Thursday following a blockade by DMK activists in protest against the "attitude of the State Government" in the Mullaperiyar issue.

Hundreds of DMK activists staged demonstrations at various places, including KG-Chavadi, 8 km from the Walayar check-post, Agali, Annaketti, Gopalapuram, Valanthamaram and Kinnethukkadavu. DMK legislator Pongallor Mani and former MP Ramanathan led the agitations, which began at noon.

The protesters raised slogans against the Government for seeking the assistance of the Indian Navy to assess the safety of the Mullaperiyar dam. Hundreds of buses carrying Ayyappa devotees, tourists and marriage parties and lorries transporting essential commodities were lined up extending to over 4 km on either side of the highway.

A posse of policemen from Tamil Nadu, which reached the spot, remained mute spectators to the agitation. The protesters demanded that they would continue their agitation till a State Minister arrived at the place to sort out the problem.

A contingent of police personnel of the State police has been deployed at the Walayar check-post.

The blockade also resulted in minor scuffles between Keralite passengers and people of Tamil Nadu at some bordering areas.

Tamil Nadu Bureau reports from Coimbatore and Theni: A road-blockade agitation by DMK activists and cadre of other parties at nine places in Coimbatore district along the borderparalysed the inter-State traffic between Tamil Nadu and Kerala. In Theni, three ghat roads to Kerala were blocked.

The agitators not only blocked the inter-State arterial roads but also feeder roads in rural areas.

Vehicles were lined up for several kilometres on the busy National Highway No 47 connecting Salem with Kochi.

The agitation began around noon and it continued into late evening.

Slogans raised

The activists raised slogans threatening to stop supply of all materials to the neighbouring State and condemned the Kerala Government for usurping the rights of Tamil Nadu over Mullaperiyar.

As a result of the agitation, cargo-laden vehicles, trucks, buses and private vehicles lined up on either side of the road for several kilometres. Efforts by the police and revenue administration to persuade the agitators to call off the roadblock were in vain.

Police reports said in all the nine places, the agitators were close to a thousand in number. Police rushed in additional reinforcements from various places to ensure safety of passengers in stranded vehicles.

According to police, the road blockade was reported at Kande Gounden Chavadi checkpost on the NH 47, Vezhanthavazham branching off from NH 47, Gopalapuram, Vazhanthayamaram and Naduppuni near Pollachi, Amaravathy Nagar near Udumalpet, Anaikatti, Veerappagoundanur near Kinathukkadavu and Semmanampathy near Anaimalai.

Tense moments

An attempt by a section of the agitators to block the Coimbatore - Kannur train at Podanur railway station resulted in some tense moments. The police removed 40-odd agitators and the train was cleared after a brief halt. Similarly, reports reaching the railway headquarters said a train between Pollachi and Palakkad was also blocked at Meenakshipuram along the border. No untoward incidents or arrests were reported till evening.

In Theni, Democratic Progressive Alliance cadre on Thursday afternoon blocked all the three main ghat roads connecting Kerala and Tamil Nadu in the district. Buses, lorries and cars proceeding to Munnar, Kumuli, Sabarimala and Vandiperiyar in Kerala and all vehicles entering Tamil Nadu from Kerala were stranded on the three ghat roads for three hours.

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