The Mylapore constituency which encompasses seven Corporation wards is a study in contrast. It has the urban elite and daily wage labourers. The area has people from different religions and communities who have made it their home.
While the announcement of R. Natraj, former Director General of Police, as the candidate representing the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam to contest from the constituency, there is great interest about who the Congress will field there as a part of their alliance with the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam. In last two elections, the AIADMK triumphed in the constituency with R. Rajalakshmi winning in 2011, and S. Ve Sekar winning in 2006.
The constituency has two landmarks — the Kapaleeshwarar temple and the Santhome Church and is one of the few constituencies with a significant Brahmin population.
Urgent action needed
Traffic problems, the poor quality of some roads and the need for infrastructural changes with a focus on the Buckingham canal and issues concerning fisherfolk are some of the concerns of people in the constituency. A few areas near Vivekananda College that are low-lying suffered great damage during the floods in December 2015.
“Roads including Balakrishna street were lying battered for over five years and were only recently laid. Residents of areas along the Buckingham canal have been suffering due to a huge mosquito density and steps need to be taken to clean the canal,” said D. Neelakandan, president of the Vivekanandapuram Residents Welfare Association.
S. Prathyusha, a resident of T.S.V. Kovil Street, said the traffic on the Mada Streets around the Kapaleeshwarar temple as well as near the Mylapore Tank and Luz bus stops and R.K. Mutt road needed to be regulated. “The congestion has only worsened here over the years and proper restrictions need to be placed at Mada Streets to prevent parking near the market, ” she said.
With a good number of educational institutions that are present in the area, R.K. Mutt Road, Luz, parts of Mandevali and TTK Road had become impossible to navigate, residents said.
The fisherfolk who live in Nochikuppam said that their wait for houses had been long. “We had refused to move out of the area elsewhere since it would affect our livelihood. So far, 534 houses have been built and there are still a good number of us who need to be allotted houses,” said K. Bharati, President of the South Indian Fisherman’s welfare Association. Stating that close to 150 fisherwomen sell fish in the open at the Marina Loop Road, Mr. Bharathi said that they would pitch for the construction of a small modern fish market, complete with cold storage facilities, there.
“Across Doomingkuppam, Nochikuppam, Bhavanikuppam and Srinivasapuram, we are all united in the fact that we do not want any infrastructural development to be carried out here which can affect the coastline,” he added.
