Image credit : Illustrative Image

Members from the Athikdavu Kousika Nathi Mempatu Sangam have requested District Collector TN Hariharan to take steps to have the Chinavedampatti Lake development project during the MGR Centenary celebrations here. They also wanted him to ensure that the State Government ensure increasing the opening of the check dam in Kanuvai to 1 meter.

In their petition to the Collector, the activists said many farmers had given their lands for a very low compensation for the development of the Chinnavedampatti lake, inaugurated by the late Chief Minister MG Ramachandran.

The lake has been the main source of water to northern parts of Coimbatore which has benefited many agricultural lands, schools and IT companies. Currently only one shutter of the lake is used to release water since sufficient rain water could not be stored during monsoon in the Sanganoor canal and Kanuvai check dam. An overgrowth of shrubs has covered the canal paths.

Environmentalists said that since officials had already completed the project estimates for ‘Chinavedampatti lake development project’, the State Government should to announce its commencement during the MGR Centenary celebrations and the district administration should take necessary steps for this.

The petition says some people have blocked the feeder to Kousika river near Kaatu Bannari Amman temple in Gudalur municipality, piling up stones and sand. This would change in the course of natural flow. They have suggested a ‘U’ flow so that neither the people going to temple are affected nor is the natural flow of the feeder disturbed.

The petitioners have requested the district administration to take the necessary steps to finish the work before monsoon and have also promised financial support in a small way.