Spread around the city’s most famous landmark, the Rockfort, the Tiruchi East constituency in the city is known for its high population density and notorious traffic congestion.
Covering 25 Tiruchi Corporation wards, mostly the old city limits of the erstwhile Tiruchi Municipality, the constituency has seen little development even after the urban local body was upgraded in 1994. Characterised by narrow roads, teeming residential settlements and unrestrained commercial development, the constituency has been straining at the leash with limited infrastructure.
With the city’s main commercial hub located around the Rockfort, the quadrangle of West Boulevard Road, Singarathope, Big Bazaar Street and NSB Road, has been in the grip of traffic congestion. The Gandhi Market and Chathram Bus Stand have been struggling to keep pace with the population growth and unplanned commercial development. Even the heritage structures of the Rockfort and the Mainguard Gate have come under threat of encroachments and obstructions in recent years.
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A two-decade old plan to shift at least the wholesale section of the Gandhi market to the outskirts remains on paper. In recent months, traders have opposed any move to shift them to an integrated market complex at Kallikudi and demanded that the market be expanded by relocating the adjacent Women’s Prison.
Cramped residential colonies along Madurai Road and Palakkarai does not have proper storm water drains, while East Boulevard Road and adjoining areas remain cut off from the public transport system. With hundreds of households not connected to the underground sewer network, the Uyyakondan and other canals have come under heavy pollution.
“The constituency reflects poorly on the civic planners. The civic infrastructure, established decades ago, is crumbling in many parts of the constituency,” says R.Ashok, a resident. The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, which has had the better share in most elections here by winning eight times since 1952, has allotted the seat to the Congress this time. Jerome Arockiaraj, the urban district Congress president, is making a strong bid to wrest the seat from the AIADMK and says his main plank is to bring about overall development in the constituency and the city as well.
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The ruling party, with just four wins down the decades, has nominated Vellamandi N.Natarajan, a former urban district secretary.
MLA R.Manoharan, a well known face who was re-nominated initially, has been shifted to the adjacent Tiruchi West but his work could help Mr.Natarajan to a certain extent. Mr. Natarajan says he would bank on the good work of the present government and promises to ensure that all the schemes of Amma reached the voters in the constituency.
The Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, which has been allotted the seat in the People’s Welfare Front, also has a substantial presence in the constituency. The former urban district secretary of the party, late A.Malarmannan, had won here twice but on DMK tickets in 1984 and 1989. The party candidate S.Rohaiyaah Sheikmohamed says she would focus on improving civic amenities that is “shockingly lacking” in the constituency.
The BJP and the PMK are also in the fray.
The constituency, with a diverse mix of population, however, has a strong minority presence by way of both Muslims and Christians. But election results in the constituency are not known to have gone on caste or communal lines.