THOOTHUKUDI: Temporary drivers and conductors working in TNSTC submitted a petition to Collector K Elambahavath during the grievance redressal meeting, urging the state government to relax the eligibility criteria mandating driver-cum-conductor (DCC) licenses for recruitment.
The petition urged the state government to provide priority to them in the recently announced recruitment and also permit those having any of the licenses to take part in the recruitment drive instead of considering only those with DCC licenses.
M Murugaraj, a petitioner, said, “The TNSTC announced about the recruitment drive after 13 years to fill up 3,274 vacant posts a few months ago. We have been waiting for this for so many years, and working with TNSTC on a contract basis. We may be left unemployed if the DCC licence is mandated.”
Meanwhile, villagers of Usilampatti in Ettayapuram taluk said that they have been dependent on a pond for potable water for several years after the drinking water pipeline from Chinnamalaikundru panchayat, located 4 km away, was damaged, and the borewells yield only saline water.
Also, as the water from the pond is sour, kidney-related ailments are found among many, and many of those who died recently had also suffered kidney failures. So, the district administration must take necessary efforts to tap water from Seevalaperi drinking water project.
People of Inam Kallurani of Vaipparr panchayat also alleged a water crisis. A petition submitted by Sathish Kumar and Muniasamy on behalf of the village stated, “Being home to 500 families, the 10,000-litre-capacity of the overhead tank has to be increased to 30,000 litres, and the public taps on the pipeline of Vallanadu combined drinking water project shall be increased to four as against the present one, to avoid quarrels and arguments while tapping water. Even though water service connections are installed under the Jal Jeevan scheme, no water has been catered so far.”