PERAMBALUR: Residents of Ammapalayam panchayat in the Perambalur district walked out of the grama sabha held on Monday as authorities, including the panchayat president, the panchayat secretary and government officials failed to show up even after waiting for hours. Some residents said the panchayat president did not arrive to evade queries on unmet demands.
Ammapalayam panchayat comprise over 1,000 families. The residents have been affected by a host of issues, including erratic potable water supply, drainage and public toilet facility woes and alleged irregularities in the MGNREGA. Though petitions were filed several times with Panchayat president A Pichaipillai and at the Perambalur BDO office, action is yet to be taken, rued the residents.
In this situation, the residents looked forward to airing their grievances at Monday's grama sabha which marked International Workers' Day. Over 100 people turned up for the meeting which was led by panchayat vice-president Joshephine Subramaniyan. However, the residents, miffed after the officials overshot the scheduled time, decided to boycott the event.
They urged the authorities to reschedule the meeting. A 38-year-old resident, on conditions of anonymity, told TNIE, "The meeting commenced at 11 am. However, the panchayat president and the secretary failed to show up even after a long time, forcing us to boycott the event." "Our village has been reeling under a host of issues, including potable water woes and open defecation due to a lack of toilet facilities. The panchayat president is yet to address these issues.
Moreover, graft allegations have been levelled against him as it is said that he accepted a bribe of Rs 300 each from residents seeking MGNREGA jobs. Action needs to be taken," the resident added. R Ravindran, another resident, echoed the views. "The meeting usually sees low footfall as officials often fail to notify the residents ahead of schedule.
However, it was a different scenario this time as the residents were notified in advance. Yet, the authorities failed to show up." When contacted, the Assistant Director of Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Department in Perambalur, T Arulalan, told TNIE, "The meeting has been rescheduled. The date will be announced soon."