Residents of Therku Veerapandipuram gram panchayat entered into a heated argument with officials at a gram sabha meeting on Tuesday.
Residents questioned how resolutions were passed in their absence as they had staged a walkout, during the previous gram sabha held on August 15.
They had staged a walkout as they were not allowed to pass a resolution against the Sterlite plant.
Sundaramoorthy, one of the residents, demanded the resolutions of the previous gram sabha be placed before them.
The members also questioned why other issues were not taken up for discussion apart from the agenda set by the district administration.
Zonal Deputy Block Development Officer Shanmugasundari said that the previous resolutions would be available at the Block Development Office.
They also asked why the gram sabha, which includes residents of Kumaragiri, Kumarettiyapuram and Therku Veerapandipuram villages, was not held the last three times at Kumarettiyapuram.
In another grama sabha, residents of Moopanpatti in Kovilpatti block, who sought that their demands be discussed were not allowed to do so by the officials.
The official, who presided over the gram sabha, said that the resolutions be submitted as petitions. He said that instructions had been given saying that the resolutions would be passed only after getting the Collector’s nod.
Following this, the residents staged a walkout and held a demonstration in front of the anganwadi where the grama sabha was held.
They also raised slogans against the Collector.
Meanwhile, District Revenue Officer M. Veerappan oversaw a gram sabha meeting held at Maravanmadam. Sub-Collector M. S. Prasanth and Assistant Collector (training) Dr. Anu were present.
Various government schemes and issues including ban on single-use plastics, judicious use of water, awareness about diseases communicated through mosquitoes, total sanitation, creation of an open defecation-free environment, use of toilets at anganwadis and schools and use of public sanitation facilities, prevention of TB and Mahalir Thittam were discussed at the meeting.