TIRUCHY: Tension prevailed on the Collectorate premises in Tiruchy on Monday, after residents from several village panchayats attempted to besiege the office against the merger of their panchayats with the Tiruchy Corporation.

The state government has announced the merger of several village panchayats, including Anthavathur, Nathamadipatti, Keezhakurichy and Ganesapuram with the Tiruchy city Corporation. A notification has been issued recently and so the residents from the particular villages were opposing the move of merger citing that their Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee scheme benefits might be blocked and the tax tariffs too might be increased.

They said almost all the residents of these villages are farmers and their livelihood will be affected if their villages are merged with the corporation.

The residents from these villages converged before the Tiruchy Collectorate, blocked traffic movement and attempted to lay siege to the Collectorate. However, the police on duty prevented their entry and this led to heated argument between the residents and the police. Later, the police allowed a few representatives into the Collectorate and asked them to submit their petition.

Subsequently, a few representatives went inside to submit a petition while the others went on raising slogans in support of their protest. Traffic was diverted on the Collectorate Road for more than an hour.