Cumbum:
A sense of fear and helplessness has gripped employees of the Tamil Nadu Public Works Department (PWD) and the Electricity Board deployed at the Mullaiperiyar dam site in Idukki district in Kerala and their families following frequent attacks by mobs there.
With the Kerala police allegedly refusing to entertain their complaints, the family members are now looking up to Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa for protection.
"We now get a feeling as if we are living along the India-Pakistan border. I am not exaggerating. If you live with us here for a day, you will understand our desperate and hapless situation," says a PWD official at Thekkady, who was shaken by the sight of frenzied mobs menacingly proceeding towards the dam site.
In the past 10 days, there have been three occasions when protestors from Kerala, who have been insisting on demolishing the Mullaiperiyar dam, marched towards the site. The TN PWD sub-division office was besieged twice, while the head sluice shutter was targeted once.
However, the Kerala police have allegedly refused to accept a complaint submitted by the PWD officials about these incidents. "No policeman tried to prevent the mob from advancing towards our office," says an official.
"We waited with the complaint at their Circle police station at Kumuli for two days, but they didn't pay attention to us," he says.
A PWD employee alleges that even when the Chief Engineering of the department visits the Mullaiperiyar dam, the Kerala police fail to provide adequate security. "Instead, we have seen them standing wearing a lungi and passing comments against us," he claims.
The staff also alleged that the Kerala police were stationed at the site only to gather intelligence inputs on the activities of the PWD officials.
Nearly 18 families of TN PWD and EB are staying in quarters in Idukki