In disqualified MLAs’ constituencies, infrastructure projects hang fire

CHENNAI: Civic projects and basic amenities appear to have gone into the freezer in three assembly segments in and around Chennai — Perambur, Poonamallee and Thiruporur — all of which lost their elected representatives when assembly speaker P Dhanapal disqualified them six and a half months ago.
Voters in these disqualified MLAs’ constituencies say delay or cancellation of projects have denied them essential facilities and left their localities in a mess. Services in some other parts of the city may be bad too, they agree, but it’s no coincidence that they’ve lost their MLAs and have the worst of it.

That’s because, the localites say, they have no recourse, no one to air their complaints to, no one to ensure ongoing projects are completed, and no one to push for financial support for new projects. They’ve lost the MLAs they voted for in the May 2016 election and ?2 crore in annual funding under the MLA Local Area Development Scheme.

Thiruverkadu resident D Dhanasekaran says Poonamallee, a fast-developing suburb in Tiruvallur district, has a long list of civic glitches.

“Sewage problems, for instance, are such a problem in Seneerkuppam that filth flows on the streets,” he says. “Officials responsible for maintenance of the drainage system will come around and take a look only is people take to the roads in protest.”

“After the disqualification of our MLA, T A Elumalai, there has no elected official to turn to,” Dhanasekaran says. “The endlessly-delayed civic body elections have shut the only other door.”

With only listless government officials left to solve residents’ problems, quality of life has taken a hit in Perambur constituency, which lost its representative in P Vetrivel, and in Thiruporur, less than 50km south of the city along Old Mahabalipuram Road, which had M Kothandapani as MLA till September 18, 2017.

That was when assembly speaker Dhanapal disqualified 18 rebel AIADMK MLAs, sympathisers of dissident AIADMK leader T T V Dhinakaran. The Madras high court is likely to deliver its verdict in the case shortly.

Elumalai, the former Poonamallee MLA, says a proposal of his to construct eight bus shelters is yet to take off. “I sent a?40 lakh proposal for the project about 25 days ahead of the disqualification,” he says. “The district administration has put a spoke in the wheel.”

Kothandapani, formerly MLA from Thiruporur, says the authorities have shelved a proposal for a new bus terminus in Mamallapuram, in his constituency of Thiruporur.

Vetrivel, Perambur’s disqualified MLA, says the administration has dumped a plan for graveyards near the Kodungaiyur dump yard.

Some residents say the absence of MLAs has made little difference. An expert agrees.

“To have an MLA is very important,” says R Manivannan, head of the department of politics and public administration at University of Madras. “But, in reality, how many MLAs care about civic issues? These [three] MLAs did not discuss public issues to any great extent in the assembly when they were in office.”

Government officials deny that they have ignored ongoing projects.