As soon as C .N. Annadurai took over the reins of the State administration way back in the late 1960s, he moved the district administration office and a few other district-level government offices from Saidapet in Madras to Kancheepuram.
However, some of the head offices of important departments such as the judiciary, health and highways still function from Saidapet.
Encroachments
While space constraint is being cited as the reason for the inability to move certain departments to the headquarters town even now, vast areas of lands belonging to the revenue and other departments, where such offices could have been easily set up, have been encroached upon in the name of expansion.
Another sore point is the inability of individual house owners to effect any vertical expansion of their houses due to building construction restrictions, especially the one regarding the height of buildings, that have come up as a result of the Archaeological Survey of India maintaining a handful of monuments in the area.
Unrealised promise
Ironically, a promise to find a solution to this issue was given by a candidate in the local body elections a decade ago, according to a realtor.
At the same time, this rule was flouted by business establishments and some influential persons as several buildings with a height of over 30 feet have been constructed, even in the vicinity of the monuments.
Residents said that due to such developments, when plan permits were sought for construction of multi-storied buildings for residential purposes, even at places far away from the areas where ASI monuments are situated, they were allegedly not entertained by the officials.
This issue, which directly affects the development of this town, has never found a place in the list of election promises given by the candidates contesting the elections to the Legislative Assembly or to the Parliament, those living near the monuments say.
Many of the promises made by candidates this time involve issues such as drinking water, sanitation and other problems, which have been pending for a long time, residents complain.
At hamlets coming under this constituency, public transport facility and primary health services should be improved, regular de-silting of existing waterbodies should be carried and reliable veterinary services have to be provided, residents said.
