TENKASI: From a new government medical college to speedy implementation of Jambunathi irrigation canal-digging project, there are demands aplenty for the residents of Tenkasi district, as MK Stalin is set to visit the recently-created district on Thursday after assuming office as chief minister one-and-a-half years ago.
Claiming that it was due to the lack of government medical college hospital that the district ended up in the 36th position in healthcare ranking, an official of the health department said Tenkasi is nearly 10 years behind other southern districts like Tirunelveli as far as the availability of health facilities are concerned.
"Since Tirunelveli Medical College Hospital is located to the eastern side of the city, the ambulances from Tenkasi have to pass through congested roads. The 60-km trip takes at least two hours. Due to this, several patients die on their way to the medical college hospital. The government should also fill the vacancies of doctors in GHs of Alangulam, Ayikudi, Sivagiri, Puliyangudi, Veerakeralampudur, Sankarankovil and Kadayanallur. Several villages are in the need of PHCs and health sub centres," he demanded.
Former Tenkasi MLA K Raviarunan demanded the chief minister to set up a combined check post with police, road transport, mines, revenue and health departments' staff in Puliyarai to curb mineral smuggling to Kerala and illegal waste transportation from Kerala.
Alangulam-based environmentalist A Thilagaraj demanded the chief minister to convene a meeting with his counterpart in Kerala to permanently stop the dumping of biomedical, electronic, plastic and meat waste transportation from Kerala in Tamil Nadu.
Speaking to TNIE, M Muthukutti of Karumbanur said the state government should take steps to send back the waste-laden trucks to Kerala. T Sankaralingam, a farmer from Ramnagar village said while most of the districts have around 20 rain gauges covering all taluks, there are only 10 rain gauges to measure rainfall in Tenkasi district.
"Five of these 10 gauges are installed near the dams where there is always good rainfall. Alangulam, Thiruvengadam and Veerakeralampudur taluks which consist of rainfed agriculture regions lack even a single rain gauge. But the disaster management officials are deciding the average rainfall by assessing data from five dams which are mostly misleading. This hinders the farmers from the district from availing state and central governments relief," he said.
Meanwhile, P Thangaraj of Thippanampatti demanded speedy implementation of Jambunathi irrigation canal-digging project which will benefit the farmers of Alangulam and Tenkasi taluks. "The works of the long-pending project commenced during AIADMK tenure. However, it was stopped later citing need for permission from the forest department," he added.
The farmers of Sivagiri urged Stalin to resolve Shenbagavalli dam dispute between Tamil Nadu and Kerala as promised in the DMK election manifesto and restore water supply to the Tenkasi, Virudhunagar and Thoothukudi districts. Activists also demanded the chief minister to visit Kurinjakulam and Panjakulam areas where the SC community people are facing discrimination from the intermediate caste people for years.
An outer ring road around the congested Tenkasi town, direct bus services from Alangulam to Tirunelveli and Tenkasi, district science centre for school students, stern implementation of Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Charging Exorbitant Interest Act, bifurcation of large revenue villages and panchayats, infrastructure development for the tourists in Courtallam, the establishment of separate District Forest Office and expedition of construction of government offices including collectorate and district police officers are some of the other demands by the residents of this district. As the chief minister is set to reach Tenkasi by train, the rail activists urged him to demand more trains from Tenkasi to Chennai, Bangalore, and Mumbai.