Collector heads gram sabha meeting in Thirupparankundram

Madurai District Collector K.J. Praveen Kumar presided over a Gram Sabha meeting in Thirupparankundram here on Monday on the occasion of 77th Republic Day.

The highlight of the Collector’s address was the rollout of the ‘Ungal Kanava Sollunga’ (Tell Your Dream) initiative. This massive door-to-door audit, conducted by volunteers from the Tamil Nadu Corporation for Development of Women, aims to map the impact of government schemes over the last five years.

“We are tracking everything—from child welfare and youth employment to education and nutrition,” Mr. Praveen Kumar explained.

The data collected would ensure that no eligible family is missed for future housing under the Kalaignar’s Dream Home Scheme, which is entering an expanded phase following high public demand, he added.

He also provided a significant update on the Kalaignar Magalir Urimai Thogai scheme. He revealed that after a rigorous secondary screening process under the ‘Ungaludan Stalin’ program, an additional 65,000 women have been added to the rolls. Madurai district now sees a staggering 5.15 lakh women receiving a monthly entitlement of ₹1,000, providing a significant boost to the local rural economy.

In a move emphasising social harmony, the Collector participated in a ‘Samuthuva Virundhu’ (Equality Feast) organized by the Adi Dravidar and Tribal Welfare Department. Sharing a meal with the villagers, he addressed pressing local grievances on the spot:

He pledged that the local Dargah would receive a new roof within a month. Under the ‘Namakku Naame’ scheme, a network of CCTV cameras would be installed through a partnership between the district administration and private contributors.

Comprehensive repairs for all village roads and an overhaul of the drainage system were greenlit.

In a massive display of democratic unity, 15 village panchayats in the Kottampatti Union passed identical resolutions during their Republic Day Gram Sabha meetings in their villages. Through the resolution, they made their demands for fulfilment of the 2021 election promise to extend the Periyar Irrigation Canal clear.

The residents said, for the residents of Madurai’s northern border, water is not just a resource; it is a 50-year-old grievance.

“Despite being a primary agricultural hub, Kottampatti remains at the mercy of increasingly erratic monsoon rains. The lack of irrigation has not only crippled farming but has led to a burgeoning drinking water crisis that affects livestock and daily life alike,” said Selvaraj, a resident of Kambur.

“We have been told for decades that the elevation of our land makes the canal extension impossible,” said a representative from the Farmers’ Livelihood Movement. “But if water can reach the heights of Kuppam in Andhra Pradesh from 740 kilo metres away, and if the 58th Canal can work in our own district, why is Kottampatti being ignored?”

The DMK’s 2021 manifesto specifically pledged to bring Periyar water to this parched union. As the current government enters the latter half of its term, the ‘unanimous resolutions’ passed today serve as a formal reminder of that unkept vow, they said.

The movement has now called upon all political parties to transcend partisan lines and support a technical feasibility study that uses modern engineering to solve the elevation challenge.