RAMANATHAPURAM: From people dressed as dead bodies to residents carrying fused electronic equipment, the grievance meeting in Ramanathapuram held on Monday saw numerous petitioners who came to address their issues to the district collector. Accepting their petitions, District Collector Vishnu Chandran assured to take action on the issues.
According to sources, residents from Velanur village near Uthirakosamangai, along with cadres of Tamil Puligal Iyyakkam, arrived at the district collectorate wearing garlands and dressed as dead bodies. "As the police prevented them from entering the grievance meeting hall, they laid down and staged a protest.
Later, their representatives submitted their petition to the district collector, which stated that their village lacks a graveyard facility and that the villagers are left to carry out the last rites of the deceased at an isolated street in the village. They further urged the district administration to take action towards allotting space for a graveyard in the village," the petition said.
Alleging that despite submitting various petitions, no actions have been taken yet, the residents staged a protest within the collectorate, following which a minor tussle broke out between the protesters and the police.
Sources further said in another incident, several residents from the Uchipuli area arrived at the collector, carrying motor pumps, bulbs, fans, and other electronic equipment. "They alleged that over the past couple of years, they have been facing severe electric fluctuation issues due to which several lakhs worth of electronic equipment got destroyed in the years. They demanded the district administration to take action towards fixing the power fluctuation issues in the area," sources added.
Demanding charter seven demands, including allocation of 1% reservation in government jobs for persons with disabilities and other demands, members of the TN Association for the Rights of All Differently-Abled Persons staged a protest at the district collectorate, sources added.
Throughout the meeting, the district collector received about 351 petitions and agreed to take action to solve the issues.