“Dharmapuri is not in the DMK government’s map of the State, or else, innumerable schemes would have seen fruition,“ alleged PMK leader Dr. Anbumani Ramadoss in Palacode here on Monday.
He criticised the government for being silent on the demand for Cauvery water harvesting scheme that would tap into the run-off from the Cauvery flowing into Hogenakkal in Dharmapuri.
“There is out-migration by youth in search of jobs, despite owning lands here. Their joblessness will be addressed if only the government announced/implemented water harvesting schemes from the run-off from Cauvery and Thenpennai rivers,” he said.
According to him, the Karnataka Government had sanctioned ₹1,000 crore for the Mekadatu project, which he alleged had no legal backing. “But, in Tamil Nadu, there is no extra-legal demand in the ask for water harvesting schemes, yet the government claims it does not have the fund,” Mr. Anbumani said.
Reiterating the PMK’s demand for a caste survey, he said it was not head-count or a census, but it was a survey to assess the socio-economic conditions of people and tailor welfare programmes to address the specific needs of various communities. “If the caste survey is done, the reservation will go up from 18% to 22% for the depressed classes, for MBCs from 20% to 24% and for the BCs from 30% to 45%. This is not just about jobs, it is about access to education,” said Mr. Anbumani.
If Bihar could accomplish this, why was Tamil Nadu hesitating, he asked.
Commenting on the Global Investors’ Meet hosted by the State, the PMK leader wanted the government to give information on the actual investments that materialise apart from the Memorandums of Understanding inked during such summits in the past.
Besides, he also questioned if the DMK government would actually implement its electoral promise of a legislation for jobs for the natives first, notwithstanding the quantum of investments.
He called attention to the SIPCOT in Dharmapuri that was long ignored. “Hosur has reached its saturation and the town cannot be developed beyond its current state. Attention should be shifted to Dharmapuri that has human resources and is in need of industrialisation,” Dr. Anbumani said.
