ERODE: The farmers and public have urged the state government to reject Gobichettipalayam municipality’s request to merge border village panchayats with the municipality.
Subi Thalapathi, president of Thadapalli Arakkankottai Bhavani River Irrigation Farmers Association, said, “On September 18, Gobichettipalayam municipality submitted a petition stating that boundaries of the municipality should be expanded."
"In particular, villages under panchayats of Vellalapalayam, Kullampalayam, Pariyur, Modachur and Lakkampatti town panchayat located within the municipality were selected to be merged with Gobichettipalayam. The petition also wanted the municipality upgraded to a special status municipality," he added.
He added that people living in these villages are mostly engaged in agriculture. Most lands under irrigation projects of the Water Resources Department will undergo urbanisation, affecting agriculture and animal husbandry. Grants for special schemes will be stopped.
AMR Raja, a resident of Gobichettipalayam and association secretary, said, “There are many unresolved issues within the current limits of Gobichettipalayam municipality. The UGD has not been properly constructed yet and sewage from municipality areas continues to mix with the Thadapalli irrigation canal. There is no place for solid waste recycling. The government hospital has not been renovated as well. Even the municipal administration building is over 100 years old.”
NR Nagaraj, chairperson of Gobichettipalayam Municipality, said, “We have made this request because the government ordered it. The current population of the municipality is 60,000 and it is likely to rise to one lakh if certain village panchayats and a town panchayat are merged with the municipality. Adequate infrastructure facilities are already put in place.”