Mullaperiyar row: Hotels, shops down shutters in Ooty

 January 04, 2012: Over 2000 Shops and hotels in this tourist hub downed shutters here today protesting against Kerala’s stand on the Mullaperiyar dam issue.
The usually bustling town wore a deserted look with cars and tourist vehicles not plying and bakeries and other business establishments remaining closed. Some tourists from North India were seen cooking food on the road side, while some others had gone to Coonoor, about 20 KM from here, by available Government buses.
Kerala has been pressing for twin demands: for a new dam and lowering the water level in the reservoir to 120 feet from 136 feet as an immediate safety measure.
Kerala has been witnessing a series of protests by various political parties and social groups for a new dam in the wake of recent tremors in the region and rising water level in the dam, located in Kerala’s Idduki district but maintained by Tamil Nadu under a 999 year lease.

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