Residents of Pallavaram present 15 issues before local MLA candidates

Chennai: In an unusual meeting held at Pallavaram, local MLA candidates belonging to competing parties fielded questions on burning civic issues from voters on one stage. The sitting MLA P Dhansingh, representing the AIADMK party candidate CR Saraswathi, promised to address civic issues raised by residents, while the PWF candidate attacked DMK and AIADMK in a fiery speech.The BJP candidate seemed not to have a grasp of the local issues but attacked AIADMK for rebranding Centre's flood relief funds in her name through stickers.
The DMK candidate and former Pallavaram municipality chairman E Karunanidhi was conspicuous by his absence, though the meeting venue was just metres from the local DMK booth. "Anti-social elements have taken over politics in the state because many good people chose to stay away," said V Santhanam who is the president of Federation of Civic and Welfare Associations of Pallavaram which conducted the meet.
The main issue among the 15 issues laid forward by residents was the restriction on real estate development and modification of houses in 6 wards of the Pallavaram municipality by the Archaeological Survey of India. Residents demanded amendment to the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains (Amendment and Validation) Act, 2010, which could resolve the issue.
Pointing out that the DMK had not done anything to amend the act in Parliament, even when it was in power during the UPA II, Dhansingh said the AIADMK MP K N Ramachandran raised the issue twice in parliament. Dhansingh said, "We will continue to fight and resolve the issue." Responding to the residents' demand that sewerage charges be reduced from 150 to 100, the MLA claimed it cannot be done due to excessive expenditure incurred by the project.
PWF representative Kaarai Selvaraj, who spoke on behalf of the youngest and only woman candidate K Veeralakshmi,28, attacked the ruling AIADMK party, asserting that sewerage charge could not be reduced because of fund mismanagement and poor planning.