1 month ago
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The Ambasamudram Assembly constituency on the thigh of the Western Ghats, which has been blessed with 3 premier reservoirs but near with a batch of infrastructural problems, is each acceptable to witnesser a conflict betwixt the AIADMK and the Congress this time.
While winners of the precise archetypal Assembly predetermination held successful Tamil Nadu successful the aboriginal 50s were each Indian National Congress candidates, Ambasamudram constituency preferred to take Independent campaigner P. Chockalingam implicit Congress contestant Lakshmi Sankara Iyer successful the archetypal canvass held successful 1952. However, ‘business’ became ‘as usual’ successful the adjacent predetermination arsenic Congress campaigner G. Gomathisankara Dikshidar got elected to the Assembly successful 1957 and helium continued the wining streak till 1967 adjacent erstwhile the DMK emerged victorious successful this predetermination and formed the authorities nether the enactment of C. N. Annadurai.
In the adjacent predetermination held successful 1971 too, Congress campaigner S. Sangumuthu Thevar won the battle. The CPI (M) emerged victorious for the archetypal clip successful 1977 arsenic its campaigner Eswaramoorthy alias Sornam got elected by defeating seasoned CPI person R. Nallakannu by 1,787 votes. He was elected to the Assembly for the 2nd consecutive word successful 1980.
The AIADMK won Ambasamudram for the archetypal clip successful 1984 but mislaid it successful the adjacent predetermination successful 1989 to the Congress and retained it successful 1991. When AIADMK supremo fell retired of the voters’ favour successful 1996, DMK’s R. Avudaiyappan bagged this constituency for the archetypal clip and the 2nd clip successful 2006 to became Speaker of Tamil Nadu Assembly.
However, Mr. Avudaiyappan suffered unforgettable defeats successful the adjacent 3 elections – successful 2011, 2016 and 2021 – astatine the hands of AIADMK candidates. And, the achy ‘hat-trick debacle’ has forced the DMK to handover the Ambasamudram constituency to the Congress for the April 23 polls. Though the nationalist enactment is yet to denote its campaigner with intra-party disorder implicit candidates reaching crescendo, advocator Kamaraj oregon erstwhile MLA Veldurai’s lad V.P. Durai whitethorn beryllium fielded to take-on AIADMK’s Esakki Subaya, who got elected doubly from this conception successful 2011 and 2021. He served arsenic Minister of Law successful the Jayalalithaa’s Cabinet successful 2011 and got dismissed from the ministership wrong 2 months.
The Vijay-led Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam and Seeman’s Naam Thamizhar Katchi excessively person fielded small known candidates successful the fray.
Even though this constituency, blessed with bully h2o resources with Papanasam, Manimuthar and Servalar dams taking attraction of cultivation operations, has elected candidates from antithetic governmental parties, the perennial problems inactive beryllium arsenic nary of these members neither understood nor worked to alleviate these problems.
Even though the ruling DMK had announced that the Tamil Nadu Government would survey the possibilities of taking Papanasam dam’s surplus h2o to Manimuthar dam, the district’s largest reservoir with the capableness of 5,511 mcft, by digging a linking channel, nary measurement has been taken truthful far. Since Papanasam dam would beryllium the archetypal large reservoir to overflow owing to bully rainfall successful the catchment areas successful the Western Ghats astir each year, the surplus h2o would beryllium released successful the 122-Km-long Tamirabharani River, which would get drained into the Gulf of Mannar adjacent Punnaikaayal successful Thoothukudi district.
This agonizing wastage of ‘White Gold’ continues adjacent aft the 73 Km-long flood bearer transmission was dug to link Tamirabharani – Karumaeniyar – Nambiyar Rivers to instrumentality the surplus flood h2o of the Tamirabharani to adust Nanguneri, Thisaiyanvilai and Sattankulam areas. Even arsenic the flood h2o is wasted, the Manimuthar Dam would beryllium waiting anxiously each twelvemonth to scope its maximum level of 118 feet arsenic rainfall successful the catchment areas of this dam is comparatively not that good.
Hence, the digging of transmission to link Papanasam and Manimuthar dams was projected adjacent though the Tamil Nadu Government would person to get support from the National Tiger Conservation Authority since some the dams and the way for the projected linking transmission are located wrong Kalakkad – Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve. But, the authorities is soundless connected this captious contented which has upset the farmers.
Another nagging contented the farmers present look each twelvemonth is the inadequate paddy retention installation arsenic the paddy being harvested successful the fields from Papanasam to Gopalasamudram person to beryllium stored earlier and aft being sold astatine the nonstop procurement centre.
Even aft Chief Minister M. K. Stalin announced successful September 2022 that Biodiversity Park with escapade sports would beryllium created connected 23 acres adjacent Manimuthar dam astatine the outgo of ₹7 crore, not adjacent a ceramic has been kept to people the commencement of this project. Instead, it was hijacked to neighbouring Kanniyakumari territory pursuing authorities by the top-brass of Department of Forest.
Invasion of chaotic animals into the ranches is simply a large occupation being encountered by the farmers of Ambasamudram. “Even though we request erection of star electrical obstruction on the wood boundary, the authorities is successful nary temper to authorisation money for this project,” says P. Perumbadaiyar, authorities vice-president of Tamil Nadu Vivasaayigal Sangam.
Even though the Manjola beverage property workers of this constituency person been asked to vacate their decades-old scenic birthplace aft the beverage mill absorption wound-up its operations, a tiny fig of families are inactive surviving determination arsenic they bash not privation travel to the plains aft accepting the government’s alleviation package, which has go a occupation for the locals and the authoritative machinery.
Even though tonnes of utilized apparel are being discarded successful the Tamirabharani astatine Papanasam each week arsenic the devotees travel this ritual for decades, nary measurement has been enactment successful spot to cheque this superior contamination of the river. And, nary sustained measurement is being followed to desilt the irrigation channels successful Ambasamudram astatine regular intervals.
