Ryots threaten to start indefinite fast from May 5

 If the renovation work in the Keezhbavani canal is not started as per the court order from May 1, thousands of ryots would start indefinite fast in the WRD chief engineer's office at Erode from May 5 and also move contempt petition in the HC for not adhering to the HC orders, Keezhbavani ayacut land owners association president S Periyasamy, secretary KV Ponnaiyan, and Keezhbavani turn irrigation farmers federation vice president A Ramasamy and secretary Eswaramoorthi.
In a memorandum to the WRD executive engineer, LBP, Erode, they said the government issued a GO 276 in 2020 for renovating Keezhbavani (Lower Bavani Project) canal and the work was started in 2021 to protect the irrigation system in the ayacut. But the work was stopped by some non ayacut ryots.
Due to that, last financial year alone, breaches were occurred in 4 places in the canal affecting irrigation for over 1 month which hit the crops survival much and led to huge loss to ayacut ryots. So, the ryots filed a public interest litigation (PIL) in the HC. 
On March 31,2023,the bench led by CJ directed the government to initiate the renovation work as per the GO from May 1 and also ordered to give police  protection to the machines and workers of the contractors to be involved in the work. The Green tribunal also rejected the petition against the project. 
So, if the work is not started as per the court direction, thousands of ryots would picket the WRD office and start indefinite fast from May 5, they said. 
They said that just 14000 trees would alone be removed on both side of the main canal (200 km length).
But, DMK environment wing state president Karthikeya Sivasenapathy spread misinformation among public that 4 lakh trees would be removed, and wanted withdrawal of the GO. He also misguided the ryots that the Attorney General opposed the project and WRD supported it. 
While the WRD plans to strengthen only weak structures of the earthen bund in nearly 54 places without concretising the entire bund or surface of the canal, he misinformed the entire structure would be concretised. His demand of withdrawal of GO is not only against the government but also against the WRD minister and DMK general secretary Duraimurugan's stand of renovation and expert committee led by Mohanakrishnan's report.
It is unfortunate that though he is the chairman of welfare board for non resident Tamils, he opposed the government project openly. Such stand could not be seen in late CM Jayalalithaa rule. 
But, unfortunately, the CM MK Stalin is silent without controlling the partymen like him, they rued.