Two Independents strive to bring to fore the ownership dispute in Srirangam and Thiruvanaikovil

Independent women candidates in Tiruchi Lok Sabha constituency highlight property ownership dispute with HR&CE Department.

Two women candidates have entered the fray as Independents in the Tiruchi Lok Sabha constituency in an attempt to bring to fore the distress among sections of residents in Thiruvanaikovil and Srirangam due to the property ownership dispute with the HR&CE Department.

Both of them – M.Akila (42) and S.Kavitha (33) -- say that they have been affected by the HR&CE Department’s decision to lay claim to the properties around the temples in Srirangam and Thiruvanaikovil. While the former has been fielded on behalf of affected residents in Thiruvanaikovil, the latter has entered the fray apparently motivated by a social activist.

“We wanted to draw the attention of the authorities on the need to resolve the property ownership dispute between the Sri Jambukeswarar Akilandeswari Temple administration and a section of residents of Thiruvanaikovil as the issue has affected a large number of families,” said M. Mari alias Padmanabhan of the Thiruvanaikovil Adimanai Urimaiyalar Koottamaippu which has fielded the candidate.

Residents of Thiruvanaikovil have been opposing the temple Executive Officer’s communication to the Registration Department in September 2023 requesting the Srirangam Sub Registrar not to register property transactions relating to certain survey numbers in Vellithirumutham village, which spreads from Srirangam to Thiruvanaikovil in the island town situated between the Cauvery and Kollidam rivers. Based on the communication, the Sub Registrar had suspended registrations of the survey numbers concerned.

Mr.Padmanaban contends that registration has been suspended with respect to at least 73 survey numbers. “The affected residents have been subject to severe mental stress as they were not able to sell or raise loans on their properties for important family requirements,” he says.

Speaking to The Hindu, Ms.Akila, a homemaker who had studied up to Plus Two, said that residents of Thiruvanaikovil was responding spontaneously to her campaign as large number of people were affected.

Ms. Kavitha, who assists her mother in running a tiffin stall in Srirangam, says that she took to civic activism after she had to fight with the authorities over sewage overflow into their house and claims to have faced threats and harassment from different quarters over her activism. “The land dispute between the Srirangam temple and residents is among the issues relating to the temple town that I want to highlight,” she said. Building a causeway/check dam across the Kollidam between Srirangam and Nochiyam and improving roads are among the other issues she wants to to bring into focus.