VELLORE: From reviving the Palar river, raising check dams to tap water during rains, wiping the infrastructure woes of the public, to addressing the industrial pollution in hubs like Ranipet and Ambur, issues are aplenty in Vellore region. These are expected to dominated the poll plank in the upcoming elections to the State Assembly. The combined Vellore district was trifurcated in 2019 to create Tirupattur and Ranipet districts. All the 13 Assembly segments were shared among the three districts.
Five constituencies are represented by AIADMK, seven by DMK and one (Gudiyattam) remains vacant since the death of DMK MLA Kathavarayan. DMK wrested Gudiyattam and Ambur from AIADMK in the bypolls necessitated by the disqualification of MLAs as they switched over to TTV Dhinakaran’s AMMK. Until the trifurcation, Vellore remained one of the largest districts in Tamil Nadu. But the issues of the general public and farmers still continue to be many.
The first and foremost of them is the revival of Palar river. Check dams constructed upstream by neighbouring Andhra Pradesh have blocked water from flowing into Tamil Nadu. Interlinking of Thenpennai-Palar is another major demand of the people. “The revival of rivers like Palar and Ponnai running through combined Vellore is a major issue affecting the people. Even if water flows down during heavy rains, most of the tanks remain dry because the inlet canals are choked. This issue should be given due attention,” says LC Mani, district secretary, Tamil Nadu Farmers Association.
There is no end in sight for the plight of sugarcane farmers as the cooperative sugar mills owe them a huge sum of money. Lack of appropriate actions to modernise the mills also compound their miseries. Industrial effluents polluting the land and water have rendered Ranipet almost unsurvivable. The authorities seldom pay attention to whip the polluting industries. Leather-based industries in Ambur and Vaniyambadi too escape action for causing pollution.
Lack of adequate infrastructure, particularly road and rail link too plague the people in combined Vellore. The Nagari-Tindivanam rail connectivity project, offering easy access to the rural people, has been pending for long without the Centre providing funds. Traffic is thrown out of gear on the narrow Katpadi Railway Bridge during peak hours. The authorities concerned could neither expand the existing bridge nor construct a new one. With the level of awareness seemingly growing among voters in the recent years, it is sure that they would hold the politicians to their issues when they reach out seeking votes.