TIRUCHY: "Despite our village neighbouring Minister KN Nehru's home village, we get nothing in terms of basic amenities," said an elderly woman during the grama sabha held at Siruvayalur village of Kanakiliyanallur panchayat as part of Independence Day celebrations.
Held in the presence of panchayat president Singarayar S, the sabha discussed, among other things, the need for a compound wall for the government primary school at Siruvayalur, the poor condition of the school buildings and the lack of adequate toilet facilities.
The most contentious topic, however, was water scarcity. Sami Shanmugam S, a senior resident of the village, said, "We only get 1-2 hours of water supply every day from Pullambadi, and that too there is no fixed time. We have staged multiple agitations, and yet our water crisis only gets severe." M Sampath, another resident, said,
"The water pumped from Pullambadi comes through Vathalai Koodalur and takes 3 hours to reach us, but it gets over in 2 hours. Some days it comes by 12 pm, and some days at 5 pm. Don't we villagers have any other work?" Another elderly woman who spoke said,
"Siruvayalur and Kankiliyanallur villages are in the same panchayat, but all the facilities reach Kankiliyanallur. Even water is given to them through a separate line from the Nandiyaru River drain. Our village has no facilities, and many of our road projects, even pipe installation to the cremation ground, are pending. Since Kanakiliyanallur is the minister's village, all are keen to develop it.
Almost all facilities are ultra modern there. Don't we exist at all?" Panchayat president Singarayar S said he tried his maximum to resolve the issue, yet the higher officials are not cooperating. While the grama sabha was for both villages, villagers from Kankiliyanallur were not present, and no proposals or grievances were raised on their part. In Tiruchy district, grama sabhas were held in 404 panchayats and district collector M Pradeep Kumar participated in a grama sabha held at Irungalur village panchayat of Manachanallur taluk.