Dharapuram Residents Oppose Private Solar Power Line Construction on Water Bodies and Road Sides

Coimbatore: The community of Kannangovil village, located near Dharapuram in Tirupur district, is up in arms against the construction of a private solar power transmission line. The village, home to over 500 people, is grappling with acute water scarcity due to severe drought conditions. In light of these circumstances, the villagers have expressed strong opposition to the project, which they say infringes upon their water bodies and road sides without proper permissions.The villagers' discontent culminated in the detainment of a JCB machine used by the project team. When they presented their grievances to the Gundadam police station, their complaint was initially overlooked by police officials, including the Deputy Inspector of Dharapuram, Kalaiyarasan, and the Gundadam Station Inspector. However, following discussions, it was decided to halt the project activities for six days.Despite the agreement, the project team proceeded with the installation of three new electric poles near the water bodies and attempted to continue their work along the road sides, leading to further confrontations. The villagers, including over a hundred farmers, descended into the water bodies in protest, threatening to boycott the upcoming parliamentary elections if the construction work did not cease immediately.



Villagers, including Vadivelu and Bhuvaneswari, claim that the project is being carried out without any authorization, blatantly ignoring public opposition and the lack of permits for setting up electric poles on public land and near water bodies. They demand an immediate stop to the construction work to prevent exacerbating the already dire water situation in Kannangovil village.