Kurinjipadi voters want non-polluting, agro-based industrial boost

Having emerged victorious five times in six elections in Kurinjipadi Assembly constituency since 1996, DMK strongman in the north and Minister for Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare M.R.K. Panneerselvam is in the fray for the seventh time, hoping to score a hat-trick during the Assembly elections scheduled on April 23.

While the AIADMK had won the Kurinjipadi seat in 1980, 1984, 1991 and 2011, the DMK had won it 10 times – 1962, 1967, 1971-77 (N. Rajangam), 1977-1980 (M. Selvaraj), 1989-91 (N. Ganeshmurthy).

Mr. Panneerselvam had registered consecutive victories from 1996 to 2011. He was the Minister of Health in the DMK government headed by Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi. After his defeat to R. Rajendran of the AIADMK in 2011, he again emerged victorious in the 2016 and 2021 elections, and became the Minister for Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare.

In 2021, Mr. Pannerselvam’s victory margin against Selvi Ramajayam of the AIADMK was 17,527 votes. In 2016, he won against R. Rajendran of the AIADMK by a margin of 28,108 votes.

In the upcoming elections, as important as it is for the DMK-led Democratic Progressive Alliance (DPA) to put on a strong performance, the front must also be acutely aware that the Tamizhaga Vazhvurimai Katchi (TVK) headed by T. Velmurugan and now delinked from the DMK-led alliance, is capable of eating into the votes of the DMK in areas like Kurinjipadi and Kullanchavadi where it has significant presence.

A fast-developing urban location, taluk headquarters Kurinjipadi has been facing a number of civic and infrastructure issues. Despite the presence of a SIDCO industrial estate at Vadalur town, which falls under the constituency, no major industries have come up.

“Kurinjipadi was once a thriving handloom hub and one of the major handloom clusters in the State. There used to be around 22,000 weavers in Kurinjipadi, but today, that number has dwindled to just 300. Kurinjipadi should have developed into a industrial hub but there has been no scheme to revive the handloom sector or promote new industries. Located near an industrial hub — Neyveli — environmental protection becomes extremely important. A non-polluting, agro-based industrial estate must be established,” says Natesan Subramaniam, convenor of KurunjiCAN (Citizens’ Action Network), a citizen-led initiative.

The DMK is primarily highlighting its achievements, along with promises for the largely agrarian constituency. The implementation of the long-pending demand for desilting the Perumal tank in Kurinjipadi, a major waterbody at a cost of ₹112.42 crore, in 2022, has helped in increasing the storage capacity from 524 million cubic feet to 723.27 mcft.

The execution of the “Aruval Mooku” flood prevention project at a cost of ₹81 crore this year was also a major demand of the ryots in the district.

With Kurinjipadi being largely agrarian, residents demand that only agriculture and allied industries should be allowed to operate in the region. Promotion of value-added products in jackfruit and sugarcane, which are predominantly cultivated in the region, is required for transforming farming and boosting sustainability and profits for local farmers.