தமிழ் நாடு மக்கள் அலட்சிய படுத்தப்பட்டார்களா?

 

Annamalai, the BJP chief of Tamil Nadu on the victory of the DMK and the BJP in the local body elections held recently.

Is it Hindi fanaticism or Tamil?

The hint of Hindi gets some of the Tamil Nadu politicos seemingly going red. But the fact is in Tamil Nadu hard core Tamils are learning to speak Hindi. Chaste Hindi speaking workmen are widely found in carpentry, construction works, other civil works, electrical / plumbing jobs, restaurants,sweet shops, eateries & Hotels, traffic attendants, security agencies, even fuel stations,offices, barber shops, hair dressers & top end saloons. SPA, 'Gyms' & Health clubs...in short almost anywhere and every where. There is a large section of Trade & Industry owned and run by the Hindi speaking populace no matter where they hail from or what their mother tongue is. The sudden spurt in the IT & ITES industry too has brought in a huge Hindi speaking population. There are native Hindi speakers too!

So what is the politician talking about so loudly and what is the real objection? Are some of them still trying to whip up passion and secure their vote banks? Is fighting against the so called imposition of a language going to please any section of the people?

Ho! Mullaperiyar!!

I think the makers of DAM999 had clearly clarified that the film has nothing to do with the Mullaperiyar dam and that they were portraying likely turn of events in case any dam breaches. It is therefore foolhardy to relate the movie to the reality of the Mullaperiyar issue and confuse the case.

In reality the following points need attention:

1> is the dam structurally safe at all or not

2> is it prone to earth quakes? What magnitude of earthquake can it stand and at what level of  

      Water?

3> Why was the issue of earth quake not raised all these many years; at least not in any serious

      measure?

4> is it safe to store water at 136ft or 142 ft level. Can the level be further increased?

5> Can alternate arrangement be made so that in the event of the dam breaching or overflowing  

      water can be diverted to safer places - within or outside Kerala?

6> what could be the worst case scenario?

7> what are the preparation / precaution required to prevent / face the worst case scenario

There does not seem to be any exercise in these directions by the politicians of both the states. Instead they (from both the states) keep raising a hue and cry of the vested interests without really highlighting the facts that are indisputable.

Hope wiser counsel will prevail on the politicians and action will be taken in the best interests of humanity without letting narrow political gains influence them at the peril of the people.

The perilous dam(ned)

Kerala: Mullaperiyar dam is a disaster in waiting

The 116-year-old leaky Mullaperiyar dam, operated by the Tamil Nadu government, is too weak to withstand a strong quake.

Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala government stepped up its demand on Wednesday for a new dam at Mullaperiyar and re-emphasized that the old dam is a disaster in waiting. It made an urgent appeal to the Tamil Nadu government to reduce the level of water in the 116-year-old leaky Mullaperiyar dam situated in the hilly Idukki district.

The appeal comes after IIT Roorkee experts pointed out that a quake in the region could lead to the dam bursting and bringing in untold misery for Kerala.

At a press conference called to highlight the lurking danger, Kerala water resources minister P. J. Joseph pointed out that the dam site and its surrounding areas have already been rocked by tremors 20 times since July.

The experts have warned that there can be a possibility of the area experiencing a quake as high as measuring 6.5 on the Richter scale and that the dam is too weak to withstand such a strong quake.

Tamil Nadu Govt Bans Movie 'Dam 999'

PTI [ Updated 24 Nov 2011, 12:47:12 ]

Chennai, Nov 24: Tamil Nadu government today banned ‘Dam 999’ with immediate effect after the movie faced a storm of protests from various political parties which claim the controversial film is based on the Mullaperiyar dam, over which the state is locked in an escalating row with Kerala.

“The Tamil Nadu government has banned the screening of movie ‘Dam 999’ with immediate effect,” a terse one line announcement by Chief Secretary Debendranath Sarangi said.

The government’s decision comes a day after theatre owners across the state decided not to screen the movie, saying it was against the interests of the state.

Political parties, including DMK, MDMK and PMK had raised their voice against the release of the movie, a Hollywood movie directed by Sohan Roy.

The objection mainly centred around the contention that the film justifies breaking of the Mullaperiyar dam as the plot revolves around the collapse of a reservoir and was against the interests of Tamil Nadu.

The ban comes in the midst of war of words between Kerala and Tamil Nadu over the 116-year old structure in Idukki district of Kerala, which is under Tamil Nadu’s control and meets the irrigation needs of farmers in southern districts.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa had yesterday shot off a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, accusing Kerala of trying to whip up fear among its people for political mileage, though the dam is as “safe and good as new”.