VELLORE: Around 40 women from Mullipalayam village in Vellore blocked Water Resources Minister Duraimurugan on Thursday, alleging that their area has been deprived of basic amenities for decades.
The minister was visiting the Ungaludan Stalin camp in Sembakkam area of Vellore Corporation when residents of Veeraswamy Street, Mullipalayam, stopped him on his way and raised their grievances.
The women claimed that about 30 families have been living without a proper road or sewage canal for the past 30 years. “If it rains, our entire street gets waterlogged and during heavy showers, the water enters our houses. Our children develop rashes on their legs after walking through the stagnant water. We have also found snakes in it,” said Priya Rajkumar, a resident. Her husband added that the corporation only pumps out the water each time it rains.
Residents said repeated petitions to the collector and mayor had failed to yield results. Following the protest, Duraimurugan assured them that steps would be taken. Vellore District Collector V R Subbulaxmi also told the residents that the area would be inspected on Friday and action initiated.
Meanwhile, speaking to reporters later, Duraimurugan dismissed the proposition of a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral roll in Tamil Nadu. “Tamil Nadu is not Bihar. Tamil Nadu is a state where people are aware. The governance here is not like there. Here, we have the leadership of Thalapathy, and such tricks will not work in Tamil Nadu or with our leader,” he said.
On AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami’s claim that the DMK would collapse in the 2026 elections, Duraimurugan said, “He is speaking just for the sake of saying.”