TIRUCHY: A state government order (GO) in January this year indicating no change to city expansion plans has set off opposing villagers into a tizzy. They now await the upcoming state budget as well as the corporation budget to ascertain the government’s commitment on the matter through fund allocation, etc. and threaten to go on strike if their demands remain unheeded. According to the GO issued in January, a total of22 villages in the district will be merged with the corporation.
Vetrivel Nagarajan, a farmer of Somarasampettai, which is among the villages identified to be merged with the corporation, said, "We held talks with multiple officials, including the collector, conveying our concerns over bringing our villages under city limits. The move will affect those depending on agriculture and 100-day labour scheme (MGNREGS). Most of them, including those in the corporation, assured that the authorities would proceed only after addressing our concerns. Hence we are closely monitoring their next move. If they (authorities) come to the village to conduct a survey, we will stop them."
A highly-placed source, however, pointing to the upcoming Assembly elections, said that the corporation is unlikely to make a move on the merger plan. “City limit expansion necessitates the coordination of various departments, including revenue. There are still things that the Tiruchy corporation can do. For instance, in July 2023, it decided to demolish the canteen building behind the main office and extend the main office building. It is getting delayed as the authorities are sure that it would pass off as working towards speedy extension of city limits. Thus, things would go at a snail's pace," the source said.
A member of the corporation's finance committee also admitted that the city’s expansion is a sensitive matter and that the plan’s contours are yet to be finalised. Meanwhile, Senbagam, a farm worker and resident of Navalpattu, said, "The city expansion is a matter affecting 22 villages and the livelihood of many farm workers. If the corporation budget makes any allocation for city expansion, it would serve as a green signal for us to commence a major strike."