SALEM: Tension prevailed for a while in front of chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami’s house at Suramangalam here on Wednesday morning after a section of Periya Soragai villagers threatened to immolate themselves for denying them basic amenities. Police, however, thwarted their self-immolation bid and pacified them.
During his election campaign at Periya Soragai village in the Edappadi assembly segment on December 19, Palaniswami had said he had fulfilled all his election assurances in the past five years and provided all basic amenities to the people of his assembly segment.
Refuting the chief minister’s tall claims, residents of Boomireddipatty Colony at Periya Soragai gathered in front of his house with kerosene cans, which police grabbed, on Wednesday and said their area lacked basic amenities.
“There are 300 families in the colony, which is yet to get proper drainage and drinking water facilities,” said C Chitra, one of the residents.
Talking to TOI, she said they also didn’t have land of their own and were residing in the government’s free houses, which were in dilapidated condition. “The house I live was constructed in 1984 and it may collapse any time.”
The villagers urged the government to allot them poramboke land to build houses.
Palaniswami had, however, left for Trichy to continue his election campaign before the villagers reached his house.
Police told the protesters that the CM was not home and pacified them. The villagers threatened to immolate themselves, if the CM failed to fulfil their demands.