Valadi panchayat residents stage protest over merger with Tiruchy Corporation

TIRUCHY: Residents of Valadi panchayat in Tiruchy staged a protest on Tiruchy-Lalgudi Highway on Tuesday against the merging of their panchayat with Tiruchy City Corporation.

According to the protesting residents, the merging move was initiated without consulting the residents from the panchayat.

They said that they had been opposing the move ever since the merging process was announced. The residents who are mostly involved in agricultural activities would face difficulty in farming activities, they claimed.

They also feared that their livelihood would be affected if the panchayat was merged with the corporation as there is a possibility of scrapping the MGNREGS which is the main source of income to most of the residents.

The residents were holding placards with their demands and raised slogans against the merger move. Many petitions have been submitted with the officials concerned mentioning their opposition to the merger, but no official has met them so far.

They warned that if the merger process is not withdrawn the protests will continue.