Tribals overjoyed at Kotoor Panchayat erecting electricity poles for villages

Coimbatore: A long drawn-out battle of the Tamil Nadu Tribal Development Society that included various protests and blockades at the toll gate finally bore fruit with the Kotoor Panchayat erecting 21 electricity poles in the forest villages of Chinnarpathi and Aaliyar Anbu Nagar and other parts, on Thursday.

On May 2018, demanding electricity and other necessary facilities for the villages of Chinnarpathi and other nearby areas, a protest was held in the premises of the Pollachi District Collectorate. The President of the Tamil Nadu Tribal Development Society, P Delhi Babu, the State Secretary of Tamil Nadu Farmers Association, P Shanmugam, the President of Coimbatore Tribal Development Society, V S Paramasivam and the then Collector Gayathri Krishnan and Special Taluk of the Adi Dravidar and Tribe Union, Jayachitra participated in the meeting. Requests were made at the meeting to provide electricity to the villages of Aaliyar Anbu Nagar, Chinnarpathi, Puliyakandi, Navamalai. The Kotoor Panchayat allocated funds for the same. Later, 12 street lights were fixed in the Puliyankandi village. 

In this scenario, the tribals had accommodated themselves at the top of the hills due to fear of wild animals. The people of Navamalai and Chinnarpathi village are in constant fear of animals attacking humans and causing casualties. After a year-long struggle, these villages were finally provided with electricity. 

The Tamil Nadu Tribal Development Society and CPI (M) always urged the Government to provide electricity to these villages. Now that it was granted, the tribals are overjoyed. Jesudas, Officer of Kotor Panchayat said that 12 electricity poles and 32 electricity lights had been fixed. The President of the Coimbatore Tribal Development Society, V S Paramasivam said that the State Government should also provide toilets, housing units and other necessities to the villagers.