Anthiyur constituency that forms a part of Tirupur Lok Sabha seat has been witnessing some progress since 2012 after it was made a taluk.
But the developments reflecting in better roads, buses, schools, and amenities are confined to the urban parts. The Bargur hills continue to be neglected on many fronts.
In the last four decades, the constituency has been represented by AIADMK for six times and DMK thrice. Only for the 2001-06 term, the constituency was represented by PMK.
In the 2011 elections, MLA S.S. Ramanidharan of AIADMK had the support of 54 per cent of the voters as against 37 per cent by NKKP Raaja of DMK. The turnout of 82.34 per cent was deemed impressive considering the difficulty people on the hills face in reaching the booths.
Attention to the hills, Anthiyur locals say, will reflect in betterment of the plains as well in this segment. Agriculture activities carried out on thousands of acres through a cluster of system tanks are dependent on surplus water from the Varattupallam Dam at the foot of Bargur hills. But the catchment area for the dam is small and the storage does not exceed even one tmc. Diversion of water from Maniachipallam stream will enable the dam to receive as much as three to four times more water. This is a laborious task that would involve bringing the Public Works, Rural Development, and Public Works Departments on board.
For the last three to four decades, no candidate has been able to convince the State Government to take a decisive stand on bringing water down the Maniachipallam stream through constructing a pipeline for a few km till the Dam.
Another issue is the economic sufferings of tribal farmers on the hills due to exploitation by middlemen. A good number of farmers switched over from ragi, their traditional crop, to tapioca cultivation in expectation of better returns. But the benefits are being cornered by middlemen usually. Farmers are left in the lurch when the procurement price comes down drastically, as is the case at present.
Since Bargur is a panchayat with over 30 clusters, the residents living in the remote parts have been emphasising on the upgrade of the local body into a Panchayat Union so that the frequency of travel to Anthiyur could be reduced.
The tribal communities feel neglected by successive governments also because there is no scope for educational betterment. Students in Bargur, Tamaraikarai and Devarmalai have to necessarily come to Anthiyur to pursue higher secondary education. Due to poor economic situation, most of the students rather discontinue studies, and get sucked into the vortex of penury.
Campaigning by the parties in the plains as well as hills have reached a frantic pace. This time, too, the main contest is expected between A.G. Venkatachalam of DMK and EMR Raja of AIADMK. Mr. Venkatachalam had served as Anthiyur Town Panchayat chairman for three terms. AIADMK candidate EMR Raja has been with the AIADMK since 1986, serving the party in various capacities.
Other contestants of mainstream parties include M.K. Raja Sampath of DMDK, SCR Gopal of PMK, G. Mahendran of Bahujan Samaj Party, and P.G. Mohankumar of BJP.
