A video reportedly showing Salem North Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam MLA Sivakumar threatening a building contractor over a covered drainage channel has spread on social media, while police investigate the incident. The dispute centres on an ongoing construction project in the Mookaneri area of Salem city, where residents have raised concerns about wastewater and surplus lake water entering nearby homes.
According to a report by Dinamalar, a private company is undertaking construction work in the area. Complaints were received that surplus water flowing out of the lake was entering residential areas and that wastewater was also running onto the road because there was no proper drainage route. Following the complaints, work began on a drainage channel to improve the flow of wastewater.
The channel is being built at a depth of about eight feet. Cement slabs are being installed over it so that people do not fall into the open drain while the work is in progress. The reported confrontation took place when Sivakumar visited the site, saying he was there to inspect the area.
The report said the MLA objected to the installation of the cement slabs and used abusive language while speaking to the contractor. In the video, he is reported to say that, as an MLA, he could send those involved to prison and that he would break and remove the cement slabs. The report also said workers at the site were threatened and that the contractor was subjected to offensive remarks.
The allegations are based on the video circulating on social media and the account published by Dinamalar. The supplied report does not include a response from Sivakumar, the private company or the contractor regarding the confrontation or the statements attributed to the MLA.
Residents in the Mookaneri area said covering the drainage channel was necessary for public safety. They said the cement slabs would protect people using the area, including children, from the risk of falling into the deep channel. They also said many people visit the Mookaneri area, increasing the need for the open drain to be secured.
The incident highlights the immediate safety implications of constructing deep urban drains in areas used by residents and visitors. It also raises questions about how objections to civic or private infrastructure work are to be formally recorded and resolved, particularly when a project is being undertaken in response to complaints about flooding, wastewater movement and residential safety.
Police are investigating the matter. The supplied report does not state whether a formal case has been registered, whether the drainage work has been halted or whether the municipal authorities have issued a separate statement on the project.
