Candidates of Kinathukadavu assembly constituency cannot afford to forget one essential accessory while going to meet voters in Vellalore - their handkerchief. It would certainly come in handy to cover their noses to protect them from the stench of the garbage in the dumping yard that holds a major portion of the 850 tonnes of waste spewed by the city every day .
The residents of Vellalore are "very angry" against the politicians because their problems have not been resolved for more than 14 years.And the contestants, beware, because the voters, who have been suffering from severe respiratory problems caused by the stench and filth and the housefly menace in the area, may not extend a warm welcome to them.
For the past 14 years we have fought with the state government to shift the dumping yard from Vellalore to some other site. But there has been no response from the government. People were severely affected by the housefly menace.The ground water in our area has become polluted. Food in eateries, sweet shops and bakeries are regularly spoiled by houseflies," said J Daniel Jesudass, an RTI activist.
That's not all. Perhaps the biggest issue in this constituency is the GAIL (Gas Authority of India Ltd) pipeline. The firm decided to lay giant pipelines from Kochi to Bengaluru, crisscrossing 310 km of agricultural land across seven districts including Coimbatore. That would affect more than 1,500 farmers in Kinathukadavu constituency .
"Already GAIL has conducted a survey at Seerapalayam, Palathurai and Thirumalayampalayam and surrounding areas to lay the pipeline. Farmers have staged repeated protests against GAIL. They are not ready to lose their land and livelihood to the pipeline. So, we filed a revision petition against GAIL in the Supreme Court and we are waiting for the court order," said P Kandasamy , state general secretary of the Vivasayigal Sangam outfit.
In all, Kinathukadavu's problems are plenty . So the contestants will have to go with a bag full of promises and leave it up to the voters to believe them.
The residents of Vellalore are "very angry" against the politicians because their problems have not been resolved for more than 14 years.And the contestants, beware, because the voters, who have been suffering from severe respiratory problems caused by the stench and filth and the housefly menace in the area, may not extend a warm welcome to them.
For the past 14 years we have fought with the state government to shift the dumping yard from Vellalore to some other site. But there has been no response from the government. People were severely affected by the housefly menace.The ground water in our area has become polluted. Food in eateries, sweet shops and bakeries are regularly spoiled by houseflies," said J Daniel Jesudass, an RTI activist.
That's not all. Perhaps the biggest issue in this constituency is the GAIL (Gas Authority of India Ltd) pipeline. The firm decided to lay giant pipelines from Kochi to Bengaluru, crisscrossing 310 km of agricultural land across seven districts including Coimbatore. That would affect more than 1,500 farmers in Kinathukadavu constituency .
"Already GAIL has conducted a survey at Seerapalayam, Palathurai and Thirumalayampalayam and surrounding areas to lay the pipeline. Farmers have staged repeated protests against GAIL. They are not ready to lose their land and livelihood to the pipeline. So, we filed a revision petition against GAIL in the Supreme Court and we are waiting for the court order," said P Kandasamy , state general secretary of the Vivasayigal Sangam outfit.
In all, Kinathukadavu's problems are plenty . So the contestants will have to go with a bag full of promises and leave it up to the voters to believe them.