RANIPET: Residents of Kavanur village, of Thimiri panchayat union near Arcot, protested in front of the Ranipet Revenue Commissioner's office over the issue of site selection for a primary health centre on Tuesday. The protesters staged a road roko, which resulted in traffic congestion at a four-way intersection.
A few months ago, addressing the long-pending demand of villagers of Kavanur, the state government announced a PHC would come up in the village. Subsequently, officials, including revenue commissioner Vinod Kumar, were tasked with selecting a suitable location. Space constraints, however, directed the authorities to opt for land in Punganur, a neighbouring village. It is to be noted that the facility will also be the first PHC at Punganur and efforts are currently underway to clear encroachments at the chosen site.
Kumar's decision, however, sparked outrage among the villagers, who claimed that the land chosen for the project was unsuitable. They also approached collector Valarmathi in this regard. On Tuesday, the villagers staged a protest in front of Kumar's office and demanded relocation of the proposed PHC to their village.
They also blockaded a major junction from 7.30 am to 10 am. Tahsildar Vasanthi and Thimiri police inspector (in-charge) Kandeepan arrived at the spot and held talks with the protesters, after which they left.