25 people taken into custody ahead of talks between Palaniswami and Pinarayi

A delegation led by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami reached Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, on Wednesday (September 25) to hold discussions on various inter-state water sharing issues including the Parambikulam-Aliyar Project (PAP) with Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.

According to K Krishnankutty, Water Resources Minister, “The discussion will include Parambikulam project, Anamalai, Pandiyar-Punnapuzha, Pamba Achankovil diversion and many more. We will discuss the water-sharing agreements between the states.”

Meanwhile, 25 people who arrived in the city to protest against the high-profile meeting between the chief ministers of Kerala and Tamil Nadu have been taken into preventive custody.

“We received intelligence inputs about a group of people planning to stage a protest during the meeting of two chief ministers. We found two vehicles (in the city) with 25 people and took them into preventive custody,” PTI quoted investigating officer as saying.

Those arrested claimed that they belong to a Tamil Nadu-based river water retrieval committee and have come to Thiruvananthapuram to submit a memorandum to both the chief ministers with regard to river-water sharing issue. “Further, investigations are going on,” police added.

(With inputs from agencies)