At Idayarpalayam, located nearly 16 km from Pappampatti Pirivu in Coimbatore district, windmills dot both sides of the road. Also noticeable are quite a few poultry sheds and quarries.
Agriculture
It was once a place where agriculture was thriving with coconut groves and farmers cultivated pulses. Now, groundwater is available at 1,200 feet and those who take up farming are dependent on rain.
Windmills have generated employment to some of the youngsters in the villages. But, water remains an issue and farmers are willing to take up farming if water is available.
Since agriculture is not a viable option, lands are sold as plots or for quarrying.
At Somanur, a hub for powerloom weaving in the district, weavers say even the water in open wells cannot be used for agriculture. Letting sewage into the Noyyal has not only polluted the river, but the groundwater too, they say.
In some of the villages nearby, people walk two km for drinking water, they add.
In a pre-dominantly agriculture area, Muthugoundanpudur farmers have several problems on hand.
Workers are not available as most of them go for jobs under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme.
Water quality is poor because of sewage and chemical waste let into the Noyyal. Chemical waste from Kerala is brought in tankers and let into the river at Muthugoundanpudur, alleges Velumani, a farmer.
For Sulur Assembly constituency, which includes all these areas and is to see a multi-cornered contest in the elections this year, water seems to be a major issue.
Installation and proper use of sewage treatment plants by local bodies, generating employment opportunities at the villages and measures to support agriculture are the need of the hour, say the weavers and farmers.
Subsidy
Excess water from the Noyyal can be diverted to villages such as Idayarpalayam and more subsidy is needed for farming activities.
Sulur Assembly constituency came into being after the delimitation exercise, with areas added from Palladam and Avinashi.
In the Assembly elections in 2011, in the AIADMK alliance, the DMDK candidate for Sulur, K. Thinakaran won (88,680 votes) with 52.29 per cent of the total votes polled in the constituency.
However, DMDK MLAs including Sulur MLA, were suspended from the House in 2015 and in February this year, the Supreme Court set aside the March 31, 2015 resolution of the Tamil Nadu Assembly suspending six DMDK legislators.
In the current Assembly elections, there are candidates from DMDK, AIADMK, Congress (DMK alliance), PMK, BJP and the Naam Tamilar Katchi who are contesting.
At Somanur, the weavers want a marketing place so that the job-working units can directly sell the fabric.
This is a demand for more than a decade and all the political leaders are aware of the problems and requirements of the industry. But, they have not acted upon it so far, say the weavers.
As the election tempo picks up in the constituency, candidates from all parties are meeting the public and taking part in public meetings and are assuring the weavers and farmers of measures to address their demands.
Agriculture
It was once a place where agriculture was thriving with coconut groves and farmers cultivated pulses. Now, groundwater is available at 1,200 feet and those who take up farming are dependent on rain.
Windmills have generated employment to some of the youngsters in the villages. But, water remains an issue and farmers are willing to take up farming if water is available.
Since agriculture is not a viable option, lands are sold as plots or for quarrying.
At Somanur, a hub for powerloom weaving in the district, weavers say even the water in open wells cannot be used for agriculture. Letting sewage into the Noyyal has not only polluted the river, but the groundwater too, they say.
In some of the villages nearby, people walk two km for drinking water, they add.
In a pre-dominantly agriculture area, Muthugoundanpudur farmers have several problems on hand.
Workers are not available as most of them go for jobs under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme.
Water quality is poor because of sewage and chemical waste let into the Noyyal. Chemical waste from Kerala is brought in tankers and let into the river at Muthugoundanpudur, alleges Velumani, a farmer.
For Sulur Assembly constituency, which includes all these areas and is to see a multi-cornered contest in the elections this year, water seems to be a major issue.
Installation and proper use of sewage treatment plants by local bodies, generating employment opportunities at the villages and measures to support agriculture are the need of the hour, say the weavers and farmers.
Subsidy
Excess water from the Noyyal can be diverted to villages such as Idayarpalayam and more subsidy is needed for farming activities.
Sulur Assembly constituency came into being after the delimitation exercise, with areas added from Palladam and Avinashi.
In the Assembly elections in 2011, in the AIADMK alliance, the DMDK candidate for Sulur, K. Thinakaran won (88,680 votes) with 52.29 per cent of the total votes polled in the constituency.
However, DMDK MLAs including Sulur MLA, were suspended from the House in 2015 and in February this year, the Supreme Court set aside the March 31, 2015 resolution of the Tamil Nadu Assembly suspending six DMDK legislators.
In the current Assembly elections, there are candidates from DMDK, AIADMK, Congress (DMK alliance), PMK, BJP and the Naam Tamilar Katchi who are contesting.
At Somanur, the weavers want a marketing place so that the job-working units can directly sell the fabric.
This is a demand for more than a decade and all the political leaders are aware of the problems and requirements of the industry. But, they have not acted upon it so far, say the weavers.
As the election tempo picks up in the constituency, candidates from all parties are meeting the public and taking part in public meetings and are assuring the weavers and farmers of measures to address their demands.