Thiruvananthapuram/Chennai: The vexed Mullaperiyar dam row on Wednesday took a new turn with stray incidents of violence targeting Keralites reported in parts of Tamil Nadu even as Kerala decided to step up pressure on the Centre by taking an all-party delegation to meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
Sticking to the state's stand on construction of a new dam, an issue which triggered the current crisis, Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy announced after a cabinet meeting that the delegation would soon meet Singh.
His announcement came as Kerala filed an interim plea in the Supreme Court seeking to lower the water level to 120 ft in the 116-year-old dam, opposing Tamil Nadu's plea for raising the level to 142 ft.
The delegation would press for a new dam in view of the serious safety concerns caused due to frequent tremors in Idukki district where the present structure is located.
Protests against Kerala's stand and reported attacks on some Ayyappa devotees from Tamil Nadu on Monday took an ugly turn today when some protesters in Tamil Nadu set a bus on fire and targeted commercial establishments owned by Keralites in Chennai and some other parts of the state.
Security has been stepped up in the city as the row over the dam escalated with both Tamil Nadu and Kerala upping the ante on the issue.
A Kerala-bound bus was set ablaze in Gudalur in Theni district after the passengers were asked to get down.
In Coimbatore, 40 persons, belonging to two different organisations, were arrested when they attempted to force some shopowners, particularly jewellery establishments run by Kerala-based Groups, to down shutters.
Comments
0 comment