17 yrs later, 12 Tenkasi villages’ dream for a Thoothukudi address comes true
The state government issued a Government Order implementing the merger, following a recent judgment of the Madras High Court’s Madurai Bench directing that the villages be brought under their nearest district, Thoothukudi.
CHENNAI: After 17 years of prolonged demands and administrative inaction, 12 villages have finally been annexed to the Thoothukudi district from Tenkasi. The state government issued a Government Order implementing the merger, following a recent judgment of the Madras High Court’s Madurai Bench directing that the villages be brought under their nearest district, Thoothukudi.
In 2008, the government decided to annex the villages to the Kovilpatti union. The 12 villages are Pithcaithalaivanpatti, Appaneri, Vadakkupatti, Nakkalamuthampatti, Pillaiyarnatham, Ayyaneri, Chithirampatti, Puliyankulam, Ilayarasanendal, Venkatachalapuram, Mukkutumalai of Ilayarasanendal firka and Jameen Devarkulam of Kazhugumalai firka.
Despite issuing a GO at the time, no administrative action was taken. Residents said that political pressure stalled the implementation for nearly two decades. As a result, villagers were forced to travel up to 30 km to the Kuruvikulam union office in Tenkasi for basic revenue services, instead of going to the much closer Kovilpatti office, which is just a 15-minute journey.
Their difficulties extended to work that required them to visit district offices. To visit the Tenkasi Collectorate, residents had to travel nearly 100 km, whereas the Thoothukudi Collectorate is just 55 km away.
“We had to travel long distances to obtain revenue or education certificates. Even after applying online, we had to travel 30 km just to check application statuses. An entire day would go for this,” said T Pandian, a resident of Appaneri.
All 12 village panchayats passed unanimous resolutions seeking annexation to the Kovilpatti panchayat union. They approached the high court, filing a petition to compel the government to implement the earlier order. On September 10, 2025, Justice Anita Sumanth of the Madurai Bench quashed the old GO and directed the State to implement the public demand within three months.
Following the court’s directive, the Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Department issued fresh orders for the annexation. The decision has been widely welcomed by residents, who celebrated the long-awaited administrative realignment.