A huge chunk of the land parcel of Avadi constituency, the fifth largest in the State with 3.87 lakh voters, belongs to Central government establishments. The town of Avadi, which stands for Armoured Vehicles and Ammunition Depot of India, has been in existence long before the various Defence establishments came up here.
Demand for tax waiver
Every day, thousands of people commute to the city from this western suburb that was carved out of the Poonamallee constituency. Constituency number 6 in Tiruvallur district, Avadi consists of Poonamallee Taluk (part), Nadukuthagai, Nemilicheri and Karunakaracheri villages; Thirunindravur and Thiruverkadu town panchayats, and Avadi municipality. Voters in various Defence establishments form a major chunk of the population and they want professional tax to be waived.
Consumer activist T. Sadagopan said not much development had taken place. “Drinking water and sewage works that began in 2006 are yet to be completed. We want jobs to be created and the Central government’s Southern Structurals to be reopened. If that is not possible, another industry should come up at the spot.”
K. Pandiarajan’s (All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam - AIADMK) main plank has been the creation of an IT park in the constituency that has seen a huge influx of people in the past five years.
Boom in real estate
“This is a fast-developing place that is 95 per cent urban in nature. Real estate has picked up well and many residential projects have come up. Upgrading Avadi from a municipality to a Corporation would help improve civic infrastructure,” he said.
Umapathy, who runs an electrical store, said that basic services had to be improved. “It rained heavily last November but the municipality has not been able to save any water. We are buying water at Rs. 8 per pot, which is worrisome as peak summer is not here as yet. Lack of visible policing is also a major worry,” he said.
Two-time municipal chairman S.M. Nasar, who is the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) candidate, said that most of the Rs. 262-crore underground drainage project has been completedin Avadi. As far as the Thiruverkadu town panchayat was concerned, he said that the Rs. 99-crore underground drainage and drinking water project would be completed.
BJP’s J. Loganathan said that women voters were concerned about basic necessities in the constituency.
