Residents of Yembal in Pudukottai district have urged the State government to create a new taluk with their village as the headquarters for ensuring better accessibility for government services.
Situated at the border of Sivaganga district, the remote panchayats of Yembal, Madhagam, Kurungalur, Irumbanadu and Thiruvakudi panchayat have hardly witnessed any development over the past several decades, the villagers contend.
“We think people in these five panchayats are the ones facing the most administrative problems in Tamil Nadu. With the district, taluk, panchayat union and other government offices located far away in different directions, people of the villages face much hardship and have to travel and spend much time to avail government services,” observed P. Perinbanathan, Lead Coordinator, Yembal Development Group and Government Higher Secondary School Former Students Association, which has been lobbying for the cause.
Yembal residents complain that the villages remain backward due to their remoteness. No major development projects in terms of infrastructure, education, health sectors or to improve their livelihood have been initiated over the past three decades, the villages said in a recent representation to Chief Minister M.K.Stalin. “Since most of the government offices are situated far away, government officials hardly visit our villages,” they alleged.
“We have to visit neighbouring towns for various purposes. For instance, the taluk office is situated at Avudayarkovil, about 16 km away. The Panchayat Union Office is at Arimalam, which is 32 km away. The district headquarters is 51 km away at Pudukottai,” said Mr. Perinbanathan. The sub-registrar office is 20 km away at Pudupatti and the civil courts are at Thirumayam and Aranthangi, situated at a distance of 38 km from Yembal. While the MLA office is located at Aranthangi, about 32 km away, people have to travel 92 km to reach the MP office at Ramathanapuram, he added.
The villagers suggest the creation of a new Yembal taluk by bringing Yembal, Madhagam, Kurungalur, Irumbanadu, Thiruvakudi, Valaramani, Konkudi, Thunjanur, Okkur, Karur, Sathiyakudi, Thachamalli, Veeramangalam, Dharmarajan Vayal, Kambankadu and Kalathur village panchayats under it. The village panchayats are currently under Avudayarkovil, Thirumayam and Aranthangi taluks.
“The creation of a new taluk would help effective implementation of government schemes. Our demand has been supported by elected representatives too and we hope the government will consider our plea favourably,” Mr. Perinbanathan said.
