Tirunelveli’s agonising wait for better infrastructure continues

The Tirunelveli Assembly segment, which has the track record of not electing any particular candidate in two successive Assembly elections barring the 1957 and 1962 polls wherein Congress candidate Rajathi Kunjithapatham got elected, is going into the polls after agonisingly burying its genuine demands and comfortably forgetting about its infrastructure development.

The Tirunelveli Assembly constituency, which had 3,05,804 voters, including 1,48,446 men, 1,57,271 women and 87 other voters before Special Intensive Revision of electoral roll, now has 2,73,520 voters after SIR including 1,32,511 men, 1,40,929 women and 80 other voters, who will cast their votes in 386 booths.

In the past 16 Assembly polls held since 1952, this seat had been won by the Congress three times, DMK and the AIADMK six times each and BJP one time i.e. in the last poll in 2021.

Interestingly, Tirunelveli segment has been represented by V. R. Nedunchezhiyan, one of the stalwarts of Dravidian movement and known as ‘Naavalar’ and ‘Nadamaadum Palkalaikazhagam’ among the Dravidian leaders for his oratorical skill. In 1980, he had defeated Congress candidate Rajathi Kunjithapatham by a margin of 14,196 votes.

However, this segment is still craving for better infrastructure and investment for creation of new jobs other than the units in Gangaikondan SIPCOT Industrial Promotion Centre for the abundantly available skilled workforce.

While vehicles going to Tenkasi can cross the 40 Km-long distance between Pettai and Tenkasi in just 45 minutes, it takes more than 30 minutes to cover 13 Km distance between Pettai and Vaeinthaankulam New Bus-Stand, thanks to the cramped and badly damaged roads between Tirunelveli Town Arch and Pettai traversing narrow lanes. Unfortunately, none of the MLAs who represented Tirunelveli constituency, have taken any step to form a new road from South Bypass Road in Palayamkottai to Abhishekapatti on Pettai – Tenkasi Highway.

If a new road, in the lines of the Tirunelveli west by-pass road connecting Konganthanparai intersection on Tirunelveli – Kanniyakumari Highway with Thazhaiyoothu via Tharuvai, Suthamalli, Abhishekapatti and Rastha, is laid from South Bypass Road to Abhishekapatti, it will phenomenally reduce traffic jam in strangled Tirunelveli Town. Even though this promise is being given during every election, the assurance get buried deep once the elections are over.

The South India Cooperative Spinning Mill at Pettai, which was started by then Chief Minister K. Kamaraj on January 15, 1958, was providing employment to over 1,000 locals and also a good number of Sri Lankan expatriates. As the mill, the first cooperative spinning mill of Tamil Nadu, was making profit, a new cooperative spinning mill was started at Ettaiyapuram with the earnings of the Pettai spinning mill. The then Chief Minister M.G. Ramachandran had approved the proposal for its expansion that never took-off.

The South India Cooperative Spinning Mill was finally closed on March 31, 2004 despite sustained opposition from the workers. No MP or MLA from the district, especially those who got elected from Tirunelveli constituency, did nothing for reopening this spinning mill.

When the then Chief Minister Jayalalithaa came to know about the closure of 13 cooperative spinning mills across Tamil Nadu, including the South India Cooperative Spinning Mill at Pettai, she constituted a high-level committee on March 11, 2012 to explore the possibilities of reopening the mills and their modernisation. However, the committee concluded that there was no possibility of reopening the spinning mill at Pettai while ₹18.43 crore was then allotted for modernisation and reopening of a similarly closed down spinning mill in Ramanathapuram. Consequently, the machineries and the electrical components on the spinning mill premises were allowed to erode and many were stolen.

In other words, a few thousand families, which were getting their bread and butter from this spinning mill directly and indirectly, were forced to move out in search for other livelihood in other parts of Tamil Nadu including Tirupur and Coimbatore districts. The sprawling premises of this spinning mill that remain unused can be put into good use if the MLA from Tirunelveli segment works on this mission in sustained fashion.

The industrial estate at Pettai, where the infrastructure is far from satisfaction, is waiting indefinitely for due facelift and expansion.

Even though agriculture is the prime profession, the desilting of the Tirunelveli and Kodagan channels traversing this segment needs to be done regularly. Unfortunately, it is not done properly at regular intervals.

For decades no steps were taken to clean, Nainarkulam, a nauseating waterbody in Tirunelveli Town due to rampant discharge of sewage into the tank. After tonnes of representations from the public, the Corporation had announced in its recently tabled Budget that due measures would be taken to check the influx of sewage into Nainarkulam for introducing pleasure boat ride there. As similar announcement made by the urban civic body in the past had vanished in thin air and the residents have to wait for the realisation of this promise.

Even though Thatchanallur on the northern side of the city houses more than 10,000 families, frequency of bus connectivity from this highly populous area to Tirunelveli Town, Tirunelveli Junction, Vaeinthaankulam New Bus-Stand and Tirunelveli Medical College Hospital is not commensurate with the demand.

Another major problem being faced by the residents of this area is the health hazards being caused by the Tirunelveli Corporation garbage yard, where scientific solution should be put in place considering the wellbeing of the locals and to save them from the thick smoke billowing from the burning garbage for at least two days whenever fire breaks-out in this yard.

Published – March 28, 2026 11:06 pm IST