Athiyur village needs pure water, good roads, say residents

PERAMBALUR: Residents of Athiyur village in Kunnam taluk staged a protest at the Collectorate on
Monday, demanding basic amenities, including drinking water, roads and streetlights.

According to the protesters, over 300 families live in Athiyur. Drinking water is supplied in the village once in every two days by the Athiyur panchayat through an overhead tank. However, the supply has often been affected owing to frequent power cuts and motor repair. People were getting water from six hand
pumps found in the village, but they are damaged.

Drains in the village are also damaged, and sewage stagnates at various places, the protesters said. The village lacks streetlights and proper roads too. Repeated complaints filed with the panchayat went in vain, the protesters alleged.

R Azhagappan, a protester, said, “The drains have been damaged for more than a year. The streets looks very bad when sewage gets mixed with rainwater during the monsoon. The stench and health risks are too bad to be ignored. The roads are badly damaged, with pits and potholes all over. These get filled during the
rains, making things worse for two-wheeler riders.”

Another resident, R Rajasekar, said, “Water is supplied only three days a week. This does not meet our needs. It is not very clean too. Drinking such water is only going to cause serious health issues someday. There are no lights in several areas, especially the main road leading to the village. Women are scared to
cross the road at night. Our petitions on various issues have not yielded results.

The panchayat president has not come forward to take action.”  When TNIE contacted, Veppur block official said, “We received a petition on Monday and will take action soon.”