The presence of two senior IAS officers — P.W.C. Davidar and Gagandeep Singh Bedi — deputed to Thoothukudi to monitor the restoration of normal life in the port town, appears to be fetching the desired results, as the town continues to recover from the riots earlier this week.
According to officials in the district administration, the two officers held a series of meetings with a number of associations, country boat owners, trade bodies and fishermen groups.
Acting as the ‘ambassadors’ of the government, they visited the government hospital, the uzhavar sandhai and the Kamaraj market and interacted with the public.
They kept a low profile, politely declining to interact with the media.
The objective of their meetings with people from various sections of society was to convey the message that the government was there to redress their grievances. Instead of talking, they spent most of their time listening to the grievances of the people.
All that the people’s representatives wanted from the officials was summed up in a single line: “Close down the Sterlite plant...Thoothukudi will not only remain calm but progress faster.”
Though the officers did not give any assurances with regard to such demands, they offered all possible assistance in restoring normalcy and taking the people’s grievances to the top brass, including the Chief Minister, personally.
Internet services
At the Government Hospital, the doctors’ strength has risen to 53, including orthopaedic surgeons and anaesthetists, among others.
While internet has already been restored in Tirunelveli and Kanniyakumari districts, it is expected that the government would restore services in Thoothukudi by Monday at the latest.
