TIRUNELVELI: In Irukkandurai, the jasmine buds have lost their fragrance. Once-thriving jasmine plantations now appear pale and dusty, as heavy trucks, laden with gravel from nearby quarries and crusher units, rumble through the area frequently.
P Linga Rajesh watches them pass by. Farming on the one-acre land inherited from his ancestors is the only source of income for him. With his coconut and jasmine crops withering due to water shortage, he goes to a nearby seafood-related company in the evening to work as a daily-wage labourer, to make some extra buck and save his farm from wilting.
Rajesh’s 60-foot-deep farm well now has only two to three feet of water. “Last week, I dug the fourth borewell using my hard-earned Rs 22,000, but found no water, like our previous three attempts.” His situation worsened since 2023 when a Kanniyakumari-based operator started quarrying adjacent to his land. “My pathway was encroached, and the norms related to the permissible distance between agricultural land and quarry pits were violated,” he says.
The quarry has now reached a depth of over 100 feet. “How can our wells have water when quarries dig pits deeper than the wells?” The same situation exists across Irukkandurai and nearby villages.“Hundreds of farmers have become daily-wage labourers,” says another farmer, P Paulraj.
Panchayat ward member A Muthu told TNIE that 28 quarries are operating in the village. “No other village in the southern districts has so many quarries,” he says.
E Ravi has a similar story to share. A crusher unit damaged a large portion of his crops. Ravi alleged that the unit, owned by a politician, pressured him to sell his land for `1 crore, which he refused. Advocate M Dhanasekaran is pursuing legal action against quarry violations and has already managed to shut down one run by a former MP.
“Most quarries are run by politicians and have the support of officials. Aerial view of Irukkandurai resembles craters on Mars. The trucks and excavators in the deep pits look like matchboxes,” he says.
Farmers are unanimous in their decision: they will vote for candidates who promise to shut down illegal quarries.
Despite being the taluk and constituency headquarters, Radhapuram continues to function as a village panchayat with limited development. “People have to wait 30 to 45 minutes for a bus from Valliyoor to Radhapuram. The next MLA should improve bus services too,” says M Devi of SKP Nagar.
There is no dearth of demands. They demand groynes and other fisheries infrastructure for coastal villages, jobs for locals at the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant and ISRO Propulsion Complex, adequate staff at the primary health centres across Valliyoor, and a government hospital in Thisayanvilai.
The long list also includes a project to bring surplus water from Kanniyakumari to rainfed areas in the constituency, connectivity for Radhapuram to the ECR and a revenue division at Valliyoor.
The constituency has a significant Nadar population with Christian Nadars outnumbering their Hindu counterparts. Fishermen, Maravars, and Konars also live in sizable numbers.
A V Thomas of AVT group of companies was the first MLA from the constituency in 1957, representing the Congress. Since then, the Congress has won four times, the DMK three times, and both the AIADMK and Gandhi Kamaraj National Congress, twice each. Among others, three of them – the Tamil Maanila Congress, DMDK, and an independent candidate (M Appavu) – have also won one each from the constituency.
The last two Assembly elections saw narrow margin of victories. In 2021, DMK’s M Appavu, speaker of TN Assembly, secured 82,331 votes and defeated AIADMK’s IS Inbadurai by 5,925. In 2016, Inbadurai defeated Appavu by just 49 votes.
A recount of postal votes was ordered by the Madras High Court, but results are yet to be declared. In 2011, the DMDK’s Michael Rayappan won convincingly, defeating Congress candidate P Veldurai by 21,475 votes.
Appavu, the sitting MLA, has represented the constituency four times since 1996. He is contesting again and facing the BJP’s S P Balakrishnan. The NTK has fielded Girija Thamaraipandian D, and the TVK has fielded Dr Sathish Christopher.
Speaking to TNIE, Appavu raised confidence that the DMK government’s schemes particularly for women, and developmental works carried out in this constituency, including the establishment of a Government District Headquarters Hospital (GHQH), and water supply projects worth around Rs 1,000 crore, would help him secure a second consecutive term. He recently told media persons that he would register a victory with a margin of 30,000 votes.
“Appavu brought various schemes meant for neighbouring constituencies to Radhapuram. He is often blamed by Nanguneri people stating that Appavu brought GHQH project, meant for them, to Valliyoor.
With his familiarity with the minister and officers, he received more funds from local body department,” said M Antony, an entrepreneur from Thisayanvilai.
BJP candidate Balakrishnan campaigns that he will stop illegal quarrying if elected. “I have already protested against these quarries. There is strong anti-incumbency against Appavu.
I am already known to the people of this constituency through my works to revive different waterbodies with my own fund. In the 2024 parliamentary election, the Tirunelveli BJP candidate Nainar Nagenthran secured 57,351 votes in Radhapuram without AIADMK’s support. This time we have formed a strong alliance which will favour me.”