Residents raise key issues at grievance meeting

Residents of Veeranayakkanthattu in Thoothukudi urge government for new road due to safety concerns for students walking 3 km.

Residents of Veeranayakkanthattu along with their children from the ward 51 of Thoothukudi Corporation urged the government to construct a new road in their area, as students are forced to walk 3 km to reach the school. They submitted a petition at the weekly grievance redressal meeting held in the Collectorate here on Monday.

Residents explained that their area comprises around 120 families and is located about 3 km from the Uppar Odai roundabout on Tiruchendur-Thoothukudi main road.

They added that the residents rely entirely on this deteriorated road for access to all the essential services. “The road has not been re-laid for over 10 years and the 2023 flood has completely destroyed the road,” they mentioned.

“Owing to the condition of the road no vehicles, including school buses and ambulances, cannot access the road,” said Santhanakumar. He added that around 30 students from the area are forced to walk 3 km daily to reach the school. The residents requested for the immediate construction of a new road along with elevating the river bank to prevent flooding in the future.

Another group of people from the Korampallam panchayat submitted a petition opposing its proposed merger with Thoothukudi Corporation. The people said they are depending on the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) for their livelihood and merging it with the Corporation would severely affect them.

They also noted that the merger would increase the taxes on their agricultural lands. They requested the government not to include the Korampallam panchayat within the Thoothukudi Corporation limits.

The weekly grievance meeting chaired by Collector K. Elambahavath received about 322 petitions under several categories, including request for free housing under the “Kalaignar Kanavu Illam” scheme, pension for elderly people and widow pension.