TIRUPATTUR: Social activists in Tirupattur alleged that the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly Estimate Committee and Assurance Committee are neglecting the district. Despite inspecting developmental projects in nearby districts including Vellore and Ranipet, the estimate committee has not visited Tirupattur yet. They urged the state government to send the committees to address prevailing issues in the district.
Ashokan, a member of the Rivers Ecology Committee, said, “The decision to construct a check dam across Palar River, connecting Ambalur and Ramanaickenpettai villages in Vaniyambadi, was taken by the state government 16 years ago. However, despite consistent appeals from the farmers of Ambalur, the project remain uncertain.
The dam is necessary to hold back water and divert it through canals for irrigation, besides recharging the groundwater table, which has gone to unfathomable depthsCurrently, farmers are forced to excavate up to 1,100 ft to install bore motors or wells,” he said.
Similarly, the construction of a bitumen road spanning a seven-kilometre stretch through the forest area from the foothills to the Neknamalai hillock and the development works of Vaniyambadi Railway Overbridge remain in limbo for several decades.
“To address these issues, the committees should intervene and bring attention to the long-pending project during the state assembly session, scheduled from February 12. Before this, a visit by the estimate and assurance committee would enable them to convey the status of the pending works, emphasizing the urgency of allocating funds for the district,” Ashokan added.
The scheduled visit of the government assurance committee to Vellore, Ranipet, and Tirupattur districts in the first week of February was temporarily cancelled due to various reasons.