Why is TANGEDCO building a substation on a lake bed, ask residents of this Perambalur village 

PERAMBALUR:  While the Tamil Nadu government and the Madras High Court have repeatedly warned against encroachments on water bodies, residents of the Periya Venmani village in Kunnam are horrified that a government body -- the TANGEDCO -- is constructing a substation on a dry lake in the village. They said the construction activity would destroy the water body and appealed to the district administration to relocate the structure.

The lake at Udaiyansalai is spread over 8 acres and is used to meet all water needs, but drinking, of the locals.

During the monsoon, the lake brims with water and flows into the Kannamathu lake in the village through a sluice canal. However, for the past 10 years, the lake and its waterways have dried up due to poor maintenance and lack of rains.

Locals said that rather than taking steps to revive the water body, the government had decided to start construction on the dry bed. Work on the power substation began a month ago, despite the villagers protesting and lodging a complaint with the district administration.

"The government and courts say that water bodies must be protected. But now we see a government body taking up construction work on a lake bed. They are destroying a natural water source. The panchayat and Block Development Officials who are supposed to protect the lake have turned a blind eye,"  Varadharajan, a resident of Periya Venmani, said. 

He warned that villagers would take legal recourse if the district administration did not intervene and stop the construction.

"The lake is an important source of water for our cattle. Now water does not flow as some people have encroached upon the waterways. Authorities should clear the encroachments and rejuvenate the lake under Kudimaramathu works. It needs to be brought back into public use," Prakash, another resident, said.  
When asked, Superintendent Engineer Ambiga said that she did not know about the issue as she only recently took charge. "I will check and take action," she said.