Improving tourism facilities remains the main demand in Valparai (R) constituency

Tourism facilities in the hill station have been the persistent demand in every election and that used to be the promise from candidates cutting across party lines.

Valparai (Reserve) Assembly constituency has two segments, one in the plains and the other is the hills, where the prime occupation is tea cultivation. In the plains, there is a consistent demand for implementation of the Anamalaiaru – Nallaru water supply scheme that could fetch considerable water from Kerala. This has been a poll demand and poll promise election after election. Whereas in the hills, the persistent demand is to refurbish tourism spots.

The constituency has 81,504 male voters, 90,769 female voters and 21 transgender voters. Scheduled Castes, tribes, Arundhadiyars, Chettiars, Kongu Velalar Gounders, Malayalis and Thevars constitute the population of the constituency.

The only promise that was fulfilled was the opening of a Government Arts and Science College, otherwise the population has to go all the way to Pollachi for college studies.

The constituency has returned AIADMK candidates five times to the Assembly, DMK and Congress nominees thrice each, Communist Party of India twice, and TMC (Moopanar) once. Valparai constituency predominently an AIADMK bastion and in the last two elections, AIADMK’s Kasthuri Vasu and Amul Kandasamy had won. But the untimely demise of Amul Kandasamy a couple of months ago has rendered the seat vacant.

This time, the DMK has fielded its town secretary P. Sudhakar, the AIADMK has nominated Lakshmana Singh of Kinathukkadavu as its candidate, Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam has nominated Sridharan and the Naam Tamizhar Katchi has nominated P. Umadevi.

The constituency has the distinction of voters in the plains decide the winner than in the hills. Zakir Hussain, a resident of Attakatti, notes the deaths and injuries faced by people due to conflicts with wildlife and he also narrates plight of tea estate workers losing jobs. He also condemned the collection of entry fee from visitors to Valparai as a tourist will have to shell out ₹700 on an average.

In the absence of improvement to tourism facilities, the growing demand for alternative occupation is on the rise, says Mohandoss, who runs a shop in Valparai dealing with newspapers and magazines. With tourism facilities lacking and tea industry remaining stagnant, the government should consider an alternative employment for the local population. Tea estate workers are happy as they get ₹485 as wages at present, Anusha Begum, a tea estate worker, says. She wants the wages increased to ₹525.

Mr. Mohandoss lamented that the government was not making use of the hill station status by opening more tourism facilities, pointing out the boat house and the ₹6-crore park tall monuments of neglect.