Bifurcation of Dindigul is becoming an election plank

Bifurcation of Dindigul district is set to become an intense campaign topic in this Assembly election. The bugle call was sounded in February this year with BJP leader K. Annamalai-led protests calling for the Tamil Nadu government to declare Palani as a separate district. R. Sakkarapani, senior DMK Minister and Oddanchatram MLA also has promised the creation of ‘Palani district’. 

The demand for carving out Palani from Dindigul has pushed the focus on the district. It was on September 15, 1985, that Dindigul district (comprising Dindigul, Palani, and Kodaikanal taluks) was officially bifurcated from the erstwhile Madurai district. 

Anantha Sait, secretary, Dindigul Chamber of Commerce, says the bifurcation of Dindigul will surely affect the fiscal and budgetary management in the district. For long, Dindigul has not witnessed development in the form of infrastructure as there has been an overwhelming dependence on tourists and tourism-based economy in Kodaikanal and revenue generated from the temple-economy with the focus on Palani.

“Dindigul was once known for its lock and leather industries. Nothing has been done to promote this. Leather goods are high-growth export potential products yet no separate industrial park has been set up for this by adopting the latest technology that is able to reduce 98% of pollutants coming out from tanneries,” he notes. 

A known mango belt, Natham has no modern packaging facilities, or a specialised export hub for the produce. Similarly, there is only a private perfumery in Nilakottai and not much is being done to tap the potential of jasmine cultivation, he adds.

K. Balabharathi, CPI(M) leader and three times MLA from Dindigul, says their party is for bifurcation of Dindigul district. If Palani becomes a separate district, then additional focus can be given to develop infrastructure that will enhance the facilities being given to devotees coming to visit the Dhandayuthapani Swamy Temple and also strengthen and upgrade sustainable tourism in Kodaikanal.

“These are specific needs and these can be addressed if only Palani becomes a separate district. It will also help bring the tribal population in the hills nearer to the administrative centre. This accessibility will help in their empowerment,” she specifies.

On the needs of Dindigul, she points out that steps should be taken to develop smallscale industries in the area. “The cotton mills in the region can be developed into a significant industrial hub. If the mills are revamped and modernised they would become a nerve centre for massive employment generation,” she adds.

 There are various units in Dindigul making safety lockers, security safes, temple hundis and jewellery vaults, and some are also exporting to countries like Singapore and Malaysia. If government subsidies are given, employment and revenue generation can be enhanced in such units, says Gurusamypillai Thangaraj, proprietor, Sri Rathna & Co. 

Dindigul Corporation Councillor G. Dhanabalan of the BJP says the Corporation revenue can be improved by bringing more wards within its limits.

He alleges that due to political interference many wards in the peripheries are kept within the panchayat limits so that property taxes are less. 

Though the government justifies these divisions as a need for better administration and governance, social activists point to the hidden cost riding on these promises. During Edappadi K Palaniswami’s tenure as Chief Minister, several large districts were bifurcated. In July 2019, Tenkasi was formed after bifurcating Tirunelveli district.  In November 2019, the then Collector said the Tenkasi district administration had identified a 32-acre land for construction of a new Collectorate master complex at Ayiraperi. Yet till date, the Collectorate is functioning on the premises of Tamil Nadu Warehousing Corporation.  

Activists like Kannan point to the huge cost that will be incurred by the State exchequer by the bifurcation exercise. Apart from the financial strain, there will be a strong need to recruit more officials rather than increasing the load on already stationed officials as it could impact the quality of service being provided. These factors should be factored in at the earliest so that within a year or two of bifurcation the new district and the bifurcated district become financially independent and the core point of bifurcation – ease and accessibility of governance – is met in letter and in spirit.