Bogged down by fragile communal harmony for nearly six decades after the infamous ‘Mudukulathur massacre,’ this backward and drought-hit Assembly constituency is fighting to catch up with development with little support from government agencies.
The 1957 murder of Dalit leader Immanuel Sekaran, who quit the British-Indian Army to serve the people, and resultant massacre of people of two caste groups left an indelible scar.
Development continued to elude the constituency as it witnesses caste clashes every year when the guru puja was organised at Pasumpon, the birth place of Muthuramalinga Thevar, on October 30. And it was freed from caste tension only after 2012 when the district administration and police introduced a new system to ensure peaceful conduct of the event.
Amid drought, the constituency tops in the cultivation of ‘Ramnad Mundu’, the unique chilli variety exclusively grown in the district, thanks to the saline and drought-resistant properties, but farmers often burn their fingers due to irregular seasonal rains. In the absence of employment-generating economic or industrial activities, nearly one third of the population lives in poverty. More than 10,000 families living in coastal villages in Kadaladi block eke out a living by climbing palm trees for tapping ‘neera’ and making palm jaggery. The sad part is that all these families are under the grip of traders and moneylenders, and Palm Products Development Board is of little use to alleviate their problems.
Delay in establishing the much-hyped fishing harbour at Mookaiyur along the Gulf of Mannar has not only hit the livelihood of fisherfolk, but also forced them to migrate to Rameswaram to add to the fishermen issue.
Adani Green Energy (Tamil Nadu) Limited, which is establishing a 648 MW solar power plant in Kamudhi taluk on an outlay of more than Rs. 4,500 crore, has given a glimpse of hope of employment opportunities.
To address the acute drinking water problem, the government has announced a 50 MW solar-powered desalination plant at coastal Valinokkam at cost of Rs. 1,500 crore. Otherwise, Tamil Nadu Salt Corporation unit at Valinokkam is the only pride of the constituency. It produces three varieties of Amma salt and provides employment to scores of women folk.
