The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Chief Minister appeals to Kerala

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Dec 17, 2006
ePaper

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Chief Minister appeals to Kerala

Special Correspondent

"Stop creating panic among people about raising the water level"

BOOK RELEASE: Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi presenting lyricist Vairamuthu with a memento at the function in Chennai on Saturday. A.R. Lakshmanan, Supreme Court Judge is also in the picture. — Photo : M. Vedhan

CHENNAI: Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi on Saturday appealed to the Kerala Government to take immediate steps to stop attempts to create panic among the public through the electronic media that 33 lakh people would perish if the water level in Mullaperiyar dam was raised to 142 feet.

Addressing a function here, he said that just like a fortune-teller predicting doom, scare had been spread among the people in Kerala by using graphics to project a wrong picture that raising the water level would result in the collapse of the dam, taking a heavy toll in Idukki and a few other districts.

Demands calling for construction of a new dam to safeguard the lives of the people in the area were being raised, even after talks were held between the Chief Ministers of the two States as per the Supreme Court's direction and the process was still incomplete.

Novel released

Mr. Karunanidhi released `Karuvachi Kaviyam', a novel by lyricist Vairamuthu, at the function. He commended the author for portraying the heroine's willpower and bravery in taking on the challenges thrown at her by many, including her husband in the village. Mr.Vairamuthu had given the minute details of the cultural aspects of the rural life by adopting a firm but gentle style in his novel, he pointed out. The Chief Minister handed over a purse of Rs.20,000 each to five widows for their remarkable guts in facing the challenges in nurturing their wards.

Supreme Court Judge A.R.Lakshmanan thanked the Chief Minister for his efforts to declare Tamil as a classical language and make Tamil the court language of the Madras High Court. Despite initial hiccups, Tamil could be made the court language, he said, expressing the hope that all necessary infrastructure would be created in the court to ensure its early implementation.

Mr.Vairamuthu said he had only given expression to the feelings of the characters of the novel without imposing his views.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Tamil Nadu