THOOTHUKUDI: The Thoothukudi district may have achieved Open Defecation Free status in 2018, but the petitioners who visit the collectorate for the grievance redressal meetings still have to attend nature's call behind the seemai karuvelam bushes thriving on the campus. The lack of a sanitary complex for the crowds seems to be one grievance the authorities seem in no hurry to redress.
Collector G Lakshmipathy receives over 500 petitions every Monday. At least 1,000 people reach the collectorate premises, including petitioners, their relatives, activists, political party cadres and others, during the grievance redressal meetings. The police personnel stationed at the entrance gates at a time permit a maximum of five persons with one petition to meet the collector inside the newly constructed meeting hall, while a huge crowd is left standing outside the compound walls.
"The collectorate building and the grievance hall consist of sanitary complexes. However, there is no toilet accessible to the people waiting outside the campus," said a woman petitioner from Srivaikuntam.
An elderly petitioner told TNIE that he had come all the way from Karungulam along with his relatives. However, he could not find a place to relieve himself. Besides, they were also not provided with any drinking water facilities.
An activist who frequents the collectorate said that the campus is in poor shape owing to shoddy upkeep. There is no drinking water, shelter and sanitary complex for the petitioners. Another activist said liquor bottles are found strewn around the parking and commercial complex areas on the campus. People can sustain injuries due to this and hence, the vigil should be stepped up during nighttime, he said.
The district administration had constructed compound walls around the collectorate and restricted the number of petitioners entering the campus following the police firing incident in 2018. Efforts to obtain comments from collector Lakshmipathy proved futile.