“I am fully satisfied with what I have done for Vellore in the past five years and I am hopeful of doing better if I get re-elected,” said Abdul Rahman, the IUML candidate contesting from Vellore, with the backing of the DMK.
Speaking to Express, he said, his priority would be to revive Palar by bringing water to it in the next five years. “This is also my poll promise,” he added.
Terming water scarcity as the most serious problem faced by the people of the district, Rahman explained the various steps taken by him in this regard, in his capacity as the Vellore MP. He said, he had been working hard to get additional water from Netravati river (in coastal Karnataka) under the water diversion project, to cater to five districts in and around Bangalore and to revive Palar river in Vellore district. “Around 2,000 tmc of water from Netravati drains into the Arabian Sea, the project has been designed to supply water up to Kolar district in Karnataka from where the Palar originates. By suitably linking Palar with this project, the river could be revived. I am hopeful that this project could be realised,” he added.
Rahman said, he had also been working on reversing the damage to ecology in Vellore district due to pollution by the leather industry, through the application of bio-metallurgy technology, that had been successfully field-tested in Japan. Based on his suggestion, the government of India had started looking at this option, he added.
“I have been cited by leading dailies that I am one among the few MPs, who was able to utilise the MP development fund fully during the term,” Rahman said, while giving details about the various works to the tune of `19 crore, carried out by him for the betterment of the constituency. This included `3.53 crore for improving school infrastructure, `3.13 crore for improving drinking water supply, `6.15 crore for roads and `5.02 crore for street lighting. He pointed out that he was instrumental for the DMK government to launch the Hogennekkal integrated drinking water scheme, which was being sidelined by the present Jayalalithaa government, that had aggravated the water scarcity problem here.
“Wherever possible, I have raised my voice to get good things done for the people of my constituency. My intervention had helped in sorting out the toll-fee hike issue on the National Highway and getting as many as 13 underpasses on the highway, to prevent road accidents,” he noted. He said, he had taken efforts to bring a Kendriya Vidyalaya in Vellore, to benefit the wards of ex-servicemen and those in service, and the officials of various government departments and allocate funds for the establishment of a sport stadium. Due to lack of cooperation from the State, a suitable site for establishing an ESI hospital for beedi workers was getting delayed, he added.