Protest in Kollidam against merger of village panchayats to form town panchayat

Hundreds from Anaikaran Chathiram and Gopalasamudram staged a road blockade near Kollidam Panchayat Union office on Monday.
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

Hundreds of residents from Anaikaran Chathiram and Gopalasamudram village panchayats staged a road blockade on Monday near the Kollidam Panchayat Union office in protest against the merger of the two village panchayats to form Kollidam Town Panchayat.

The protesters demanded the withdrawal of Government Order (GO) No. 204, issued on December 31, which announced the creation of Kollidam Town Panchayat by combining 14 wards of Anaikaran Chathiram and 10 wards of Gopalasamudram panchayats. They argued that the merger was announced without public consultation and would result in the loss of rural welfare schemes such as the MGNREGA 100-day employment programme and housing schemes while increasing the tax burden on residents.

The protest began with a march from Kollidam bus stand to the Panchayat Union office, where participants, led by CPI(M) district committee member and former Puliyanthurai Panchayat President A. Netaji. Members of the VCK, the TMMK, the MMK, and various other organisations joined the protest.

Officials, including Sirkazhi RDO Ravi and DSP Rajendran, assured protesters their concerns would be conveyed to the government. With this, the protest was temporarily called off.

Published – January 06, 2025 09:51 pm IST

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