The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Taluk headquarters status sought for Ambur town

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Sep 12, 2007
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Taluk headquarters status sought for Ambur town

Staff Reporter

Residents have to go to Vaniyambadi for getting certificates

— Photo D. Gopalakrishnan

EXPECTATIONS: A view of Ambur town, which meets the eligibility criteria to be declared taluk headquarters.

AMBUR: Though Ambur churns out over Rs.2,000-crore foreign exchange through export of shoes and other leather products and has all the required facilities, it has not yet been declared a separate taluk headquarters. The situation exists at a time when both neighbouring Vaniyambadi and Tirupattur are taluk headquarters.

Representatives of various local social service organisations at Ambur said the population of Ambur town was over one lakh. Moreover, 52 villages surrounded Ambur within a radius of 15 km. The total population in all these villages put together was more than a lakh. As Ambur had not been declared a separate taluk headquarters, residents faced lot of problems. They had to go to the taluk office at Vaniyambadi for getting various certificates.

A cross-section of residents told The Hindu that they had been demanding the taluk status for more than three decades. Members of political outfits cutting across partylines have been continuously putting forth this demand to the State Government. But no step has been taken though Ambur had been declared a separate Assembly Constituency.

The residents said that Vaniyambadi MLA Abdul Basith, whose hometown is Ambur, should take steps to get taluk status for the town. Even the various traders association in Ambur had passed a resolution, demanding a taluk status.

Representatives of social service organisations said the total population of Ambur including adjoining 52 villages was more than two lakh. There was a separate Sub-Registrar’s Office at Ambur.

A total of 3,000 to 4,000 properties were registered at the Sub-Registrar’s Office in a year. The revenue to the town through stamp duty charges alone touched Rs. 3 crore a year.

Facilities

There is a full-fledged bus terminus and a railway station at Ambur, which generated maximum revenue. Ambur had a Government Hospital equipped to handle patients and there was a 110 KV sub-station. Residents said Ambur had all eligible criteria to be declared a taluk headquarters. Similar to other neighbouring taluk headquarters at Vaniyambadi and Tirupattur, there were a taluk police station, town police station, all women police station, fire station, sub-jail and a sub-court.

Residents said unlike Tirupattur there were a total of 850 industries in and around Ambur. The number of unfinished leather units was alone 40.

Despite this being the case, residents of Ambur had to go to Vaniyambadi Taluk Office for getting legal heir and community certificates.

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