Though industrially developed, there is a deep-rooted feeling of neglect among the people of the State’s western region, which is known for family-owned business enterprises and strong entrepreneurship.
The economic slowdown and the resultant sluggishness in the manufacturing sector have taken the sheen out of improvement in power supply that has come as a life saver for the industries here. The industry’s frustrations over corruption and inaccessibility of the powers that be are discussed at length during business meetings, but no one wants to speak openly. Studded with self-made entrepreneurs, the region’s industrialists show enormous potential even attracting Chief Ministers of other States to tap potential investments.
Waking up to the crisis, the AIADMK government has tried its best to keep the investments in the State but industrialists are still looking elsewhere to further revenue and growth, say industry watchers.
Micro-industries seem to have nothing to cheer about. “In the last five years the State support to micro industries has not been much. The cost of power has doubled and there is no financial support from the government,” says the owner of a small and medium sized enterprise.
While the AIADMK has traditionally been strong in the region, Coimbatore, Erode, Tirupur and Salem districts suffer from infrastructure inadequacies. The slow pace of infrastructure development and internal politics could hurt the party in Coimbatore district, say observers.
Tirupur, the hosiery capital of the country, continues to be a “social disaster,” as a former collector put it. Labour issues still remain unaddressed, and as the town has a big migrant population, it could tilt the scale in a few constituencies. The ruling party, meanwhile, is bogged down by internal party squabbles in Tirupur.
The party strongman and Forests Minister, M.S.M. Anandan, is not yet in the fray. In a multi-cornered contest, the votes of the BJP and the Left parties could affect the eventual outcome in Coimbatore and Tirupur.
Despite successive governments trying their best, pollution is still a major concern in Coimbatore, Tirupur and Erode. A peoples’ movement was required to restore a river that runs through half of the region and mass protests backed by the Opposition was required to stop the Coca Cola project in Perundurai.
Though the rural areas have been nurtured well byAIADMK leaders such as K.A. Sengottaiyan and Pollachi Jayaraman — the DMK has been trying to play catch-up. It is hoping for a repeat of 2006, when a strong anti-incumbency wave routed the AIADMK in its stronghold.
“Despite a multi-cornered contest, the options before the public are limited,” says N. Vetrimaran, a call taxi driver.
The north and northwestern parts of the region have become a hotbed of caste politics over the past few years. ‘Honour’ killings have polarised communities in Salem, Namakkal, Dharmapuri and Krishnagiri districts while caste-based outfits of the intermediary Kongu Velala Gounders have increasingly become influential, pushing forward the agenda of increasing intolerance towards Dalits. Though these parties have split several times, they unite on such caste issues.
Others perceptively point out that rampant casteism has gone on unchecked no matter which party has been in power in the State.
Another major issue that is a concern of the people in the region is the GAIL pipeline project, which has farmers concerned.
Atop the hills and in the fringes of forests, the man-animal conflict is increasingly turning into a political issue. All parties agree that it requires a swift and efficient response. It could end up being a deciding factor in at least six constituencies.
(With inputs from M. Soundariya Preetha, Karthik Madhavan in Coimbatore; R. Vimal Kumar in Tirupur; R. Krishnamoorthy in Erode; S.P. Saravanan in Salem and P.V. Srividya in Krishnagiri)
