Set up IT park closer to Villupuram town, demand youngsters

This comes as a government arts college and a mini IT park were announced in Vanur taluk, which is over 40 kilometres away from other taluks in the district.
For representational purposes
For representational purposes

VILLUPURAM: Youngsters and social workers in Villupuram are demanding more developmental projects to be set up in the district headquarters, for easy accessibility, instead of introducing them on the periphery of the district.

This comes as a government arts college and a mini IT park were announced in Vanur taluk, which is over 40 kilometres away from other taluks in the district. The mini park, announced by Finance Minister Palanivel Thiaga Rajan during his first budget session on August 13, 2021, will come up at Thiruchitrambalam village in the block. The village lies within 10 kilometres from Puducherry headquarters and 51 kilometres from Villupuram town.

Though the announcement was initially welcomed by local residents, especially youngsters, they have now raised concerns over the upcoming park's long distance from their towns and villages. A few students groups from government as well as private arts colleges in Thiruvennainallur, Gingee, Vikravandi, and Villupuram told TNIE that the distance meant the projects were not targeted at their welfare.

K Sangeetha (22), a resident of Kilperumbakkam and a second year B Com student, said, "It takes at least one-and-a-half hours to go to Vanur from Villupuram town. It will be tedious to travel that far daily. The plight will be worse for people from farther blocks like Gingee or Melmalaiyanur."

According to G Adhityan (28), a sports trainer from Villupuram, the IT park, if set up at the headquarters, could help people from even remote villages get access to it apart, from ushering in business to the economically stagnant district. "But having it in the current location will only favour people of the Union Territory (Puducherry) to land jobs there."

K Sathish, organiser of V-GLUG -- an NGO working with rural students to equip them with IT skills, told TNIE, "There is an Anna University campus in Villupuram. Mostly, students who graduate from there are forced to migrate to Chennai or Bengaluru for jobs. If the IT park in the district is located far, it will also force them to migrate to the UT."

He requested the government to bring new companies near the headquarters and shift the proposed park closer to the town. He added that a public hearing may be conducted with students and other stakeholders regarding the location the park. Official sources from the Collectorate said that Tiruchitrambalam village was chosen for the park as it has large area of government land.

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