Question

'X' was an engineer and a civil servant. 'X' also served as a member of the Madras Legislative Council. 'X' decided to divert the west-flowing Periyar river draining into the Arabian Sea to the east so that it could irrigate lakhs of acres of dry land dependent on the Vaigai river. Identify 'X'.

• A. Lord Wenlock
• B. Arthur Cotton
• C. Colonel Pennycuick
• D. Robert Clive

Answer 1

The correct option is C Colonel Pennycuick

X - Colonel Pennycuick was an Army Engineer and Civil Servant who additionally served as an affiliate of the Madras Legislative Council. He wanted to irrigate lakhs of acres of dry land dependent on the Vaigai river. Though Pennycuick and other British engineers went ahead with the construction, braving nature’s fury and the dangers of poisonous insects and wild animals, the construction was disrupted by relentless rain. Since he could not get adequate funds from the British government, Pennycuick went to England and sold his family property to mobilise money to fund the project, which was completed in 1895. The Mullai Periyar Dam continues to irrigate agricultural lands in Theni, Dindigul, Madurai, Sivaganga and Ramanathapuram districts.