Azhagiri acquires wetland for building college

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C Shivakumar

Madurai:

DMK strongman and Union Chemicals and Fertilizer Minister M K Azhagiri has acquired nearly four hectares of wetland for building a engineering college near the banks of Goundanathi in Sivarakottai village.

Villagers fear the building of Daya Engineering College near the banks of historic river will endanger lives of the villagers and their

livelihood in danger.

Interestingly, as per law, wetland should not be allotted to any other purpose other than agriculture, an official from the development authority states.

When Express visited the site, work was going on with the mud being dumped near the banks of the historic river where three newly constructed buildings of the college stand. Interestingly, the hoarding of the college was removed a few days ago after reports leaked out in a section of the media, sources said..

Surprisingly, the river also comes under the World Bank’s Irrigated Agriculture Modernisation and Water-bodies Restoration and Management (IAMWARM) project to increase the efficiency and productive use of water.

The building of the college on the banks of the river will affect the flow of the river and may even hamper the IAMWARM project. Villagers say Rs 35 lakh was allocated to improve the canal in Sivarakottai village. “The authorities only strengthened the banks and did not clean the tank, villagers allege adding that about 350 acres of wetland is put  to risk due to callousness of the officials. As per information availed through RTI, the project authorities have spent more than Rs 20 lakh on strengthening the embankments but did not focus on cleaning the tank. Villagers allege this was done only to strengthen the banks where the college is located.

The villagers also allege that one entrance of the irrigation canal to irrigate the wetlands was blocked during the construction of the college.

Noted environmentalist Nityanand Jayaram has said the blocking of irrigation canal will have serious impact on the farmers. “This will choke the farmers and cause flooding in the area,” he added.

Documents from the sub-registrar office revealed that Azhagiri’s wife Kanthi Azhagiri has bought land worth more than four hectares for a cyber park on April 3, 2008 in Sivarakottai village in Thirumangalam taluk of Madurai district. The land worth Rs 15.31 lakh was later transferred from Kanthi Azhagiri to M K Azhagiri for the M K Azhagiri Educational Trust