Tough battle at land’s end

Though Kanyakumari is blessed with a lot of tourism spots, facilities there are inadequate

The Vivekanandar Rock and a 133-foot-tall Tiruvalluvar Statue located at the ‘Triveni Sangamam,’ confluence of Bay of Bengal, Indian Ocean and Arabian Sea, peer over Kanyakumari. The constituency at the ‘land’s end’ is an international tourist destination with a variety of attractions. An added advantage is its proximity to Kerala. The local economy thrives on fishing, tourism and agriculture.

A mega tourism development plan, drafted at an estimated cost of Rs. 14 crore by the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam government, is yet to take off. The plan envisages beautification of Kanyakumari shore on a par with international beaches. The available facilities in this constituency, which has many attractions such as Bhagavathi Amman Temple, Suchindram Thanumalayan Temple, Swamithoppu Ayya Vaikundapathy, Saint Alangara Ubakara Matha Church, Mylaudi , Thovalai flower market and Vattakottai, are found to be inadequate. Tourists visiting Kanyakumari complain that there are no restrooms on the Ratha Veethi leading to the Bhagavathi Amman Temple.

Long-pending demands

Many long-pending demands of farmers such as construction of a check dam on the Pazhayar near Suchindram to save water during rainy season have not been fulfilled. Neglect of waterbodies has resulted in a drastic reduction in their water holding capacity, thus denying water for irrigation, complain farmers.

A bridge connecting the Vivekanandar Rock and Tiruvalluvar Statue over sea has been talked about for long. This will enable smooth passage for tourists visiting the two monuments during low tide and rough sea.

No groynes

Fishermen living in villages dotting the Kanyakumari coastline complain that groynes have not been constructed in all places where there is sea erosion. A disaster management centre is also a felt need for the coastal people, who are victims of the 2004 tsunami.

The current Assembly election is different from the earlier ones, as there is a multi-cornered contest. First-time voters’ preference is expected to decide the outcome in a constituency which has a majority of Christian Nadars, considerable number of Hindu Nadars, Vellalars and fishermen. The deciding factors will be the candidate’s caste, religion, background and past record.This time, it may not be a cake walk for AIADMK’s strong man and former Health Minister N. Thalavai Sundaram, who is facing a stiff fight from former MP and DMK’s minority wing leader S. Austin.

Other candidates in the fray are BJP’s M. Meena Dev, PWF-DMDK-TMC alliance candidate Adhilinga Perumal of DMDK and S. Hilman Bruce Edwin of PMK.