A group of ward members of Thazhaiyoothu panchayat and a few residents submitted a petition to Collector M. Karunakaran here on Monday, seeking bifurcation of their rural local body to ensure better administration and infrastructure facilities.
The petitioners, who came with their mouths gagged, said that Thazhaiyoothu panchayat under Maanur union, having 12 wards with a population of 11,421 people, had been lagging behind in development for the past several years though it was situated close to Tirunelveli Corporation.
While sanitary work had come to a standstill, the residents were running from pillar to post for potable water every day.
Lack of road, community hall, ration shop, streetlights, etc., had made this rural local body unfit for peaceful living, they said.
“As Thazhaiyoothu panchayat is big in size, implementation of development works in the rural civic body has become difficult. While a particular area of the panchayat is growing in all spheres, the other areas had been remaining neglected for the past several years. Hence, the Collector should initiate steps for bifurcating the panchayat into two to ensure speedy development of the villages under its jurisdiction,” said R. Mohan, member of the 12th ward.
“It will ensure speedy development of villages”