CHENNAI: Two groups of children playing carrom at the Nochikuppam slum clearance board colony argue who should go first in the next round. While one group says they should be judged on the performance in the previous round, and go first again, the other group defiantly refuses to comply. A war of words follows and fisticuffs ensue.
Elders of Nochikuppam fishing hamlet had a similar deadlock over who should take charge of the ooru panchayat on Monday. A group of 45 members had proclaimed themselves the new panchayat council without calling the village for a meeting and seeking their assent. Enraged by this self-proclamation, villagers stormed the public meeting organised by those they label a politically-backed and motivated group.
However, the war of words thankfully did not escalate to a fist fight, with the timely intervention of police. While, the existing council selected by the village last year, had hoped to continue discharging duties, the challengers would have none of it and held a public meeting despite having the support of just a few villagers. “The entire village comes together to select the ooru panchayat. These people can’t just declare themselves as the new council,” said a woman selling fish on the Loop Road.
However, some good has come out of this deadlock — both parties have agreed to contest in an election to take charge as the new panchayat council. This is the first time the fishing hamlet will elect its council instead of selecting them after scrutinising each nominee at a public gathering. The nominees will be elected by the 1070 registered fishermen from Nochikuppam village and the group elected will have an internal election for the posts of president, secretary, and treasurer.
But the challengers feel that they have been forced into an election and it will polarise the community. “There was an oral agreement that the panchayat selected in 2016 would make way for a new council after serving a one-year term,” said Kosu Mani, a resident of Nochikuppam and president of Meenavar Munnani. “They should have gracefully stepped down.”
However, with the locals rallying behind the existing council, they are ready for a show of strength in polls which is expected to be held in the next 15 days. “Elections are what defines a democracy and the better man should win,” said K Bharathi, president of South Indian Fishermen Welfare Association.
Both the parties accuse each other of preferentially allocating homes in the housing board colony by striking a nexus with the slum clearance board and accepting bribes for houses in the ground floor. But these accusations have affected the challengers more, with one of their senior leaders, Panchanathan, once working for the slum clearance board.
No vote for women
Though a progressive step, women will not have a say in these elections as they are usually involved in ancillary fishing activities and are not registered as fishermen. “This is how it has been for years, we don’t want to get our feet dirty,” said a woman.