Declare Palani a separate district, says Annamalai

Former BJP State president K. Annamalai has called for Palani taluk in Dindigul district to be declared as the 39th district of Tamil Nadu. This would help in the overall development of both Dindigul district and Palani, he said.

Addressing the gathering at a protest conducted in this regard on Tuesday, he said Mayiladuthurai district, the 38th district, was carved out of Nagapattinam district in 2020. The DMK government had not added any new district to the State, he said.

Palani, as a separate district, was a long-pending demand of the people. Sri Dhandayuthapani Swami temple in Palani attracts lakhs of tourists during Thai Poosam and other festivals. Similarly, people in large numbers visit Kodaikanal, he said.

Dindigul is a large district with seven Assembly constituencies. People from Palani have to travel at least 70 kms to reach Dindigul Collectorate for grievance redressal. Palani has to be developed into a headquarters. Only then with the officials sitting in Palani would the grievance of the people be redressed and there would be overall development, he said.

Erode was carved out of Coimbatore district. Similarly, Tirupur was carved out of Coimbatore district. The three districts now have individual identities and have seen significant development. So were Salem and Namakkal districts. So for the overall development of Palani it should be made a separate district and this was a just demand, he said.

The DMK government should take steps and announce it otherwise the NDA would declare Palani as a separate district after coming to power, Mr. Annamalai said.

He complained that the temple town had turned into a garbage town and according to the recent surveys Palani was ranked very poorly in sanitation. There were over 500 cities ahead of Palani. Palani lacked basic infrastructure. Even the Palani hill temple is not being maintained properly. The DMK government has not implemented the resolutions passed during Global Muthamizh Murugan Conference held in Palani in 2024, he said.

He also slammed the DMK government for the cancellation of the TNPSC examinations and said that the DMK had not fulfilled its poll promises. He added that AIIMS in Madurai will become fully operational by the end of this year.