Kancheepuram residents want it to be an ancient town with modern amenities

Among the main demands are Palar water supply, revamp of underground drainage system

The temple town of Kancheepuram, which was previously a municipality and has been upgraded to a corporation, will go to polls on Saturday with residents pitching for improvement in civic amenities that have remained neglected for several years.

The town, famous for several Saivite and Vaishnavite temples, has remained ancient as far as civic amenities were concerned with the residents forced to put up with erratic drinking water supply, a crumbling underground drainage system, poor solid waste management, choked canals and ponds and heavy traffic on narrow roads. 

The candidates of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) are upbeat as Chief Minister M.K. Stalin has fulfilled one of his poll promises to upgrade the Kancheepuram municipality to a Corporation and assuring the people of rectifying the civic grievances if voted to power.

Kancheepuram MLA C.V.M.P. Ezhilarasan’s cousin Vimala Devi, who is the DMK candidate in Ward 2, is confident of the party winning the majority in the election. Ms. Devi said in the 10 years of the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) rule from 2011 to 2021, basic civic amenities had suffered. Assuring people of improving the civic amenities, she said the Sarvatheertham pond, which was renovated during former Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi’s regime in 2009, has decayed. The pond would be deepened and path would be paved for walkers.

Also she plans to open a mini library near the pond and take steps to improve drinking water supply along with getting pattas for residents who have not received it. 

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which was in alliance with the AIADMK during the Assembly election and is contesting alone now, is giving a tough fight to both the Dravidian parties with the main poll plank calling for the voters to reject both the Dravidian parties and give a chance to the party for improving the civic amenities. 

U. Jagadeesan, BJP candidate in Ward 19, said his ward covering Railway Road, Ambedkar Nagar, Pudupalayam Street, Chengalvarayan Othavadi Street, suffered from poor civic amenities of mosquito problem, drinking water shortage, overflowing sewage caused by the rising height of the road, absence of proper stormwater drain and poor maintenance of the waterbodies. Faulting the two Dravidian parties for not taking any steps to renovate the underground drainage system constructed in the town several years ago when the population was below one lakh, Mr. Jagadeesan said the UGD was crumbling with sewage overflowing in several areas.