33 village panchayats of Thoothukudi district decide to shed caste names in streets

s special correspondent.Thoothukudi: 33 village panchayats unanimously resolve to drop caste names from 80 streets. Collector K. Senthil Raj quoted Mahakavi Subramania Bharathi’s poem to appeal for equality. Gram sabha meetings held to pass resolution, streets renamed after freedom fighters, scientists, Tamil poets. Govt. records to be updated to create an example for entire TN.

Thirty-three village panchayats in Thoothukudi district have unanimously resolved to shed the caste names in 80 streets under their jurisdiction. The decision was taken at the gram sabha meetings held in the district on Monday,

 In a letter to the heads of village panchayats of the district and officials attached to the Department of Village Panchayats in August, Collector K. Senthil Raj quoted a couple of lines from Mahakavi Subramania Bharathi’s poem Saathigal illaiyadi paappa, Kula thaazhchi uyarchi sollal paavam (There is no caste system, baby, It is a sin to divide people on the basis of caste) and said every village panchayat should ensure equality among its citizens and create an egalitarian society by burying caste difference and financial status.

 When the gram sabha meeting was held at Mela Authoor village panchayat on August 15, the participants vociferously supported his proposal for removing caste identities in the names of streets in the hamlets under this village panchayat following an appeal from the Collector, who participated in the meeting. As the gram sabha meeting unanimously passed resolution, caste identities in the names of nine streets were removed immediately and they were renamed after freedom fighters, scientists, Tamil poets and so on, he recalled.

 “Since progressive and constructive changes should begin from us, we should shed the caste names in the streets of our villages and other places. Hence, we need to pass resolutions on dropping the caste names in gram sahba meetings to take the first step towards creating new progressive society,” Dr. Senthil Raj had appealed.

 He also assured that he would take immediate steps to publish these changes in the government records to become an example to entire Tamil Nadu.

 Accepting the appeal from Dr. Senthil Raj, 33 village panchayats in the district – 5 village panchayats in Thoothukudi union, 2 in Karungulam union, 5 in Srivaikundam, 4 in Alwarthirunagari union, one each in Udangudi and Kovilpatti unions, 4 in Kayathar union, 7 in Ottapidaaram union and 4 in Pudur union - have resolved during the gram sabha meeting held on Monday to drop the caste names in 80 streets in the villages under their jurisdiction.

 “With these resolutions, we will ensure permanent change in the names of these 80 streets through government gazette notification. The local bodies like town panchatyats, municipalities and the corporation will also approve these positive changes by October-end. Once it is done, due changes will be made in all official communications, address, identity cards, ration cards, driving license, voter ID cards, Aadhaar cards etc. Our efforts towards taking this positive changes to other village panchayats will continue,” Dr. Senthi Raj told The Hindu’