For the first time ever, a Tamil Nadu Chief Minister takes part in Grama Sabha meet

In a bid to uplift the basic amenities for the villages in the surroundings, CM Stalin also made some new announcements. 
DMK chief and Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin (Photo | PTI)
DMK chief and Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin (Photo | PTI)

MADURAI: The participation of Chief Minister MK Stalin in the Pappapatti Gram Sabha meeting in Madurai, has made history again. For the first time ever, a Chief Minister of the State has participated in the Grama Sabha meeting and discussed the resolutions adopted by the village committee.

The village panchayat is close to heart for Stalin as the ten year long struggle to conduct smooth elections in the caste-conflicted villages including Pappapatti, Keeripatti and Nattarmangalam was put to an end in 2006 during the DMK tenure with Stalin as the then Minister for Rural Development and Panchayat Raj and the present Chief Ministers' Secretary, T Udhayachandran, also as the then Madurai Collector.

Recalling the incident, Stalin said, "When we informed Kalaignar (M Karunanidhi, the then CM) about the successful conduct of elections, he called the elected representatives to honor them in Chennai and a 'Samathuva Peruvizha' was celebrated. Later, Kalaignar also allocated Rs 80 lakh for the development of this village and Rs 20 lakh was allocated from DMK fund separately.  I went to attend the Gram Sabha meeting here on occasion of Gandhi Jayanti to remember that historical event."

Further, he said that 202 promises made in the election manifesto of DMK have been implemented so far. "This includes both the listed and unlisted promises. Makkalai Thedi Maruthuvam, Namakku Naame, Anna Marumalarchi Thittam and a separate budget for agriculture are few of those," he said.

In a bid to uplift the basic amenities for the villages in the surroundings, Stalin also made some new announcements. They include new building for the panchayat office, Anganwadi in Mahadevanpatti, a ration shop in Pappapatti, upgradation of crematorium and street light facility, a new overhead tank and a borewell.

Addressing the grievances, the villagers told the Chief Minister that the 2000 hectares of farm lands in the village panchayat solely depends on rain for irrigation. "The 58-canal irrigation scheme, which has been a long term demand of all the villages in the vicinity, seems only to be a dream. At least for the time being, irrigation channels should be drawn to a stretch of two kilometers from the nearby canals. The four ponds in the panchayat should also be desilted," said a villager, adding that the farm produce would generate revenue in crores. Other grievances include employment for youngsters in the villages, playground facility and a competitive exam preparation center.

The Chief Minister enquired about the implementation of newly announced State government schemes in the village. On his enquiry about the free bus service for women, a villager Priya Aasaithambi, said that the buses ferrying passengers to Madurai were ticketing the women passengers. The CM promptly assured that buses from Pappapatti to Madurai would not be ticketing the women passengers from now on.

Also present were Chief Minister's Secretary T Udhayachandran, District Collector S Aneesh Sekar and Panchayat President S Muruganandham.

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