SIVAGANGA: Noting that Vice-President Venkiah Naidu’s recent words of appreciation had touched him, Chief Minister MK Stalin on Wednesday said it was heartening to hear the V-P compare his governance to that of former Chief Minister M Karunanidhi’s. “However, it is not possible for anybody to fill Kalaignar Karunanidhi’s shoes. I also don’t care about being the no. 1 or no. 2 chief minister. My sole aim is to help TN achieve excellence in all sectors,” Stalin said.
Addressing those gathered at a government function at Karaiyur in Sivaganga district, the CM said, “Karunanidhi wanted people from different communities and economic backgrounds to live together peacefully in samathuvapurams (equality villages). During the previous DMK government’s tenure, we constructed nine samathuvapurams in Sivaganga.
However, the AIADMK came to power before we could inaugurate the ninth at Kottai Vengaipatti. In another example of how the AIADMK government wasted public money, they didn't open this samathuvapuram for 10 years. Now, the DMK government renovated and inaugurated it.” He said around 1,800 acres of farm lands in Melapoongudi, Salur, Sholapuram and Nallukottai villages would benefit from the renovation of Shieldkal canal, for which Rs 22 crore has been allocated.
“An additional building with 100 beds would be dedicated for the gynaecology and obstetrics department of Government Sivaganga Medical College Hospital. We are also planning to establish a policewomen recruitment school in Sivaganga. It will be named after Queen Velunachiyar."
Earlier in the day, the Chief Minister inaugurated Periyar Ninaivu Samathuvapuram comprising 100 houses at Kottai Vengaipatti, distributed welfare assistance worth Rs 136.45 crore to 59,162 beneficiaries, laid foundation stones for 127 projects totally worth Rs 119.68 crore, and inaugurated 44 completed projects totally worth Rs 24.77 crore.
Ministers KN Nehru, KKSSR Ramachandran, S Ragupathi, RS Rajakanappan, and CV Meiyanathan, along with Sivaganga MP Karti P Chidambaram, Collector P Madhusudhan Reddy, and MLAs Tamilarasi and Mangudi were present on the occasion.