To press their demand for a new district in Arakkonam, residents, traders, members of autorickshaw unions and social activists organised a human chain on Monday.
Residents started queuing up for the agitation from the Arakkonam taluk office to SR Gate and raised slogans against the move to ignore their demand for the past 20 years.
With Vellore and Ranipet being 80 km and 58 km away, the demand for a new district is getting vociferous.
Ever since the announcement of trifurcation of Vellore district, residents were of the opinion that it is not appropriate to have a district headquarters in a corner of the district, forcing them to travel a long distance to reach the Collector.
A section of the traders even suggested that if Arakkonam cannot be a new district headquarters, it should be attached to either nearby Kancheepuram or Tiruvallur districts. Their contention was that Arakkonam was a bigger town than Ranipet and the town has many infrastructure facilities.
The traders had organised an agitation earlier this month. Organisers said they have expressed their desire that Arakkonam be a separate district at the consultative meeting organised at Ranipet. They are planning to intensify their stir by organising a demonstration in Chennai.