COIMBATORE: The district administration has recommended to the Director of Municipal Administration Department to upgrade four town panchayats — Karumathampatti, Karamadai, Gudalur and Madukkarai — as municipalities, without annexing the local bodies nearby. The district administration arrived at the decision based on two consultative meetings held with the people on the issue.
“Locals did not object to upgrading the town panchayats as municipalities based on the present area limits,” Collector GS Sameeran stated in the report sent to the Director of the Municipal Administration. “However, there was no consent from the public for creating the municipalities by annexing the nearby local bodies as the people felt they would not get employment under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) and financial assistance for construction of greenhouses and rearing of hen and goat,” he noted.
The decision should be implemented as the present population in the four town panchayats was above 30,000 and the people had not raised objection to the upgrade, the collector said.
Municipal Administration Minister KN Nehru, during the budget discussion in the Assembly, announced to upgrade the four town panchayats. Later, the administration conducted two consultative meetings.