2 months ago
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Despite its affluent bequest arsenic the onshore of state fighters like Queen Velu Nachiyar and the Maruthu Brothers, and its taste pridefulness arsenic the location of legendary poets specified as Okkur Masathiyar and Kambar, the Sivaganga Assembly Constituency—the administrative bosom of the district—is often cited for its persistent developmental lag.
With a full electorate of 2,76,156 voters—comprising 1,35,113 men and 1,41,038 women—this constituency has been a accordant stronghold for the AIADMK since 2001, with the objection of the 2006 and 2011 terms. Following this trend, the incumbent MLA, P.R. Senthilnathan (AIADMK), is slated to contention again successful the upcoming 2026 Assembly elections.
During the 1983 reorganisation of Ramanathapuram district by the M.G. Ramachandran administration, Sivaganga was intentionally selected arsenic the administrative superior alternatively of Karaikudi, chiefly owed to its important taste practice and determination importance.
Locals contend that Karaikudi’s governmental clout and economical value person efficaciously broadside lined Sivaganga, with the territory office frequently losing to its neighbour for cardinal infrastructure and improvement initiatives.
Shanmuganadhan, a grocer in Sivaganga town, said, it was amended to adjacent bifurcate the district into 2 – Sivaganga and Karaikudi – so that both the districts person adjacent developments and money allocations.
The State authorities has already shown its partiality towards Karaikudi by declaring it arsenic a corp and allocating a instrumentality assemblage and a TIDEL park, among others, yet the territory office of Sivaganga remains a specified municipality, struggling with stagnant infrastructure and a persistent deficiency of concern investment, helium added.
The section businesses successful the constituency were surviving only because of the authorities employees who reside in the town.
Additionally, helium said, their request for a authorities nursing assemblage connected Government Medical College Hospital premises was unfulfilled. “Though steps were taken to physique a caller gathering to commencement nursing course here, it was near midway,” helium added.
By bringing a nursing college, the female students aft completing their schoolhouse acquisition could astatine slightest marque usage of the installation to amended their livelihood, helium noted.
As astir of the students travel from agrarian outskirts, pistillate students who would find a suitable people and vicinity would wantonness their education midway aft completing their schoolhouse acquisition itself, Mr. Shanmuganadhan stated.
However, if capable authorities oregon affordable acquisition institutions with divers courses were disposable successful the surrounding areas, the contented of discontinuing acquisition among the pistillate students would beryllium reduced, helium argued.
Ex-Municipal Chairman and Southern Districts Farmers’ Association’s convenor M. Arjunan attributed the rising transgression complaint and deteriorating instrumentality and bid successful the territory to the insufficient acquisition facilities and industrial development successful the full territory itself.
Leaving retired the fistful of industries in Sivaganga, the acquisition younker person nary means to proceed their beingness successful the district. “This leaves them with 2 options – either to migrate successful hunt of employment or to stay successful their hometown underemployed,” helium noted.
The unemployed authorities evidently pushes them into transgression enactment and substance abuse. Despite respective studies and authorities appointed commissions clearly stated the crushed for the expanding transgression rate, the suggestions of the studies person lone fallen connected the deaf ears of the government, helium charged.
Regarding the constituency’s cultivation sector, helium noted that due to the fact that farmers are predominantly rain-dependent, they person been pinning their hopes connected the Cauvery-Vaigai-Gundar link project to unafraid a h2o proviso during periods of scarcity.
However, helium pointed retired that though the task was inaugurated successful 2021 with erstwhile Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami laying the instauration chromatic at Viralimalai, advancement has stagnated aft the completion of lone a fewer kilometres of the canal.
The decades-old SIDCO concern property successful Sivaganga is yet different illustration for an abandoned assets susceptible of providing sizeable employment to the local youths.
Mr. Arjunan suggested that the graphite extraction sector, which currently operates only arsenic a small-scale unit, should beryllium expanded into a full-fledged manufacture to fully capitalise on the abundant resources disposable wrong the district.
In the drought-prone Sivaganga district, studies conducted 50 years agone revealed the beingness of graphite successful areas like Udayanathapuram, Kumarapatti, Pudupatti, and Komalipatti. It was wide expected that if a graphite mill were opened successful this region, it would supply employment to thousands of people, starring to the maturation of ancillary industries and transforming Sivaganga into an concern hub.
However, Sivaganga MLA P.R. Senthilnathan (AIADMK), commenting on it, reportedly said, “Funds were allocated during Jayalalithaa’s regularisation to grow the mineral plant. When P. Chidambaram was a Union Minister, helium would committedness during each predetermination to grow the graphite factory, but helium ne'er fulfilled it. His son, Karti Chidambaram, who is the existent Member of Parliament, has besides ignored this.”
“When the Environment Department denied support for the plant to operate in 2018, it was during the AIADMK authorities successful 2020 that support was obtained again to resume operations. I raised a petition successful the Legislative Assembly to grow the plant, but the DMK authorities has taken nary action,” he added.
Similarly, advocate Kotai Raman, said, the efforts to move the Additional District Courts to Karaikudi was opposed by the advocates arsenic it would go a load for the advocates practicing successful the territory headquarters.
“When each the courts are contiguous in Sivaganga, however tin a instrumentality assemblage beryllium opened successful Karaikudi wherever conscionable the Munsiff and Judicial Magistrate court are contiguous there,” helium questioned.
As grievances implicit the neglect of Sivaganga intensify, lone a committedness to businesslike and sustainable improvement tin resoluteness the long-standing concerns of its residents.
