Stakes high for ruling, Oppn camps in Nagercoil’s maiden Corpn polls

Though Nagercoil’s declared as corporation by the erstwhile regime in 2019, the city is yet to witness the much needed infrastructure, many feel.

Chief among their grievances is the annoying compost yard, which lies at Valampurivilai, the heart of the city, where several lodged a series of protests urging the government to shift the yard to outskirts as they felt smoke emanating from the place is a health hazard.

But despite protests, the legitimate concerns are yet to be addressed, Alwin Thomas, a resident of Nagercoil said on Sunday. Those looking for a good road infrastructure had their patience tested as the city’s roads were mostly dug up for nearly a decade through a failure of the civic body. It’s in 2013, underground drainage works were taken up in Nagercoil, but there’s no sign of a headway in the project leaving roads badly damaged.

The consequences of political apathy are many since contestants of rival parties served the Assembly constituency of Nagercoil, another aggrieved resident Balamurugan, who’s also a cab driver, said.

Even despite the fact that Nagercoil headquartered in the coastal district, which experiences both monsoons, giving rise to water bodies, several people in Nagercoil suffered water scarcity during summer. Apart from Mukkadal dam being a key source of drinking water supply, Puthen dam project underway to cater to their basic needs, should be expedited, Sethu Madhavan, a resident said.

Moreover, locals still complain about the endless traffic bottlenecks as roads are narrow at several locations. At peak hours, vehicle drivers endure maddening traffic jams, especially on Kottar road and also at Oluginacheri. It’s all about the fate of people who live in Nagercoil.

Once powers are arrogated to the Corporation of Nagercoil, all these expectations could become reality one day. During elections, various party contestants promised enough to excite voters, but not realistic, Moses Jebakumar said.

The urban civic polls in Nagercoil are going to be a three-cornered contest with contestants representing DMK, AIADMK and BJP, but it could swing in anybody’s favour. Since it’s a maiden contest, it could be a challenging task for the contestants, who need to serve up to their expectations, are vying for a win this time.