Villagers oppose move to merge two panchayats with Bhavani municipality

People of Kuruppanaickenpalayam and Andikulam panchayats in Bhavani block took out a march strongly opposing the move to merge their panchayats with Bhavani municipality.

The municipality had recently passed a resolution to combine two panchayats along with the Mettunasuvampalayam panchayat, in order to expand its limits. However, the residents of the two panchayats had expressed their concerns against the move. During the gram sabha meeting held on January 26, they passed a resolution against the merger.

They claimed that their livelihood depended on the wages they received under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), and that after the merger, the scheme would not be implemented in the municipality. They also feared that taxes may go up and they would not be eligible for various government schemes directly. Therefore, they wanted the municipality to cancel the resolution passed.

Over 500 people took out a march from their respective villages and gathered at Anthiyur Road. They then marched to the municipal office at Bhavani, where they submitted a petition to the municipal officials.