THOOTHUKUDI: People of the Mapilaiyoorani panchayat demanded the state government to merge the village with the adjacent Thoothukudi corporation in order to avail of more urban services. Mapilaiyoorani panchayat is one of the largest panchayats in Tamil Nadu with 64 hamlets, and around 40,000 voters, and consists of five union wards of Thoothukudi block.
The Mapilaiyoorani panchayat, attached to Ottapidaram assembly constituency, has a population of over one lakh people, with the majority being daily wage labourers such as construction workers, salt pan workers, fishers, hawkers, and other unorganised workers. It may be noted that the state government passed a G.O. on October 20, 2022, to form a committee to identify the large revenue villages necessitated for bifurcation. The district administration had formed a committee headed by the District Revenue Officer (DRO) earlier this March. However, no action has been taken yet.
The village, which has an acreage of some 2150 acres of land divided into 15 wards, is deprived of proper infrastructure like roads, street lights, drainage systems, stormwater drains, public toilets, OHT tanks, and bus shelters among others. Mapilaiyoorani has a 10-km-long seashore that is home to fishing hamlets and fish trading centres. The area has been growing fast and its population may exceed two lakh in another five years, according to top officials.
One of the major issues plaguing the Mapilaiyoorani people is the inadequate drinking water supply. The public buys a pot of water for Rs 15 from tanker lorries, while affordable families rely on packaged drinking water cans available for Rs 35, said sources.
A woman resident said the drinking water supplied through street taps once in four days allows them to fetch not more than seven or eight pots. Nevertheless, the water is fit only for domestic purposes due to its poor quality, she lamented. A ward member told TNIE that the civic body receives only 10 to 15 lakh litres of water per day, whereas the panchayat needs at least 50 lakh litres per day, given its outsizing population.
TV Raj, a Mapilaiyoorani resident, said there is a need for a bus stand for minibuses, a reliable means of transport for the public, especially for women and school children. "The rural civic body does not have adequate funds for maintaining roads, street lights, and to construct adequate canals and drainages and other basic facilities, due to its poor revenue income and receipts, which are low compared to its outsizing population strength," he said.
A resident from A Shanmugapuram said water stagnation during the rainy season at A Shanmugapuram, pushes the residents into further misery as they are relinquished of water evacuation services when all the attention goes to corporation areas.
Mapilaiyoorani has become a hotbed for real estate as the purchase price is comparatively less than the nearby settlements in corporation areas, which contributes to its increasing population. However, the public says that the densely populated residential settlements lack parks and playgrounds for leisure.
Anto Michael Genious, a resident of Rajapalayam, said a government arts and science college is necessary in Thoothukudi town. "Due to the absence of the college and the high fee structure at MS University constituent and self-financing colleges, the students of Mapilaiyoorani are ought to forced to quit their academics after completing Class 12. Instead of pursuing higher studies, they opt for menial jobs at textile and commercial establishments," he said.
A public representative told TNIE that the drinking water supply schemes, infrastructure, bus stand, park, and educational institutions, would be better if Mapilaiyoorani is integrated with Thoothukudi Corporation. At least, a part of the panchayat should be bifurcated and merged with the Thoothukudi corporation, so that the public can get basic facilities and government services, he said.
A former VAO of the village said the strength of the population and eligible voters are highly disproportionate as the permanent addresses of around 2,000 families and several residents housed in this town, are traced to the Thoothukudi corporation that falls under the Thoothukudi assembly constituency.