Lack of civic infra sparks protests outside MLA Vijay’s office in Vyasarpadi

CHENNAI: Tensions escalated at Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay’s MLA office at Sharma Nagar, Vyasarpadi, on Monday morning. Around 100 residents, including women and senior citizens of  Vedantha Murugappa Street, Selaivayal, Kodungaiyur, staged a protest and surrounded their MLA office.

This marks the first protest at the MLA office in 100 days since Tamilaga Vettri Kalagam (TVK) governance took over the state.  

According to residents, the locality has been deprived of fundamental civic infrastructure for over 15 years.

Protesters stated that a few residents had repeatedly attempted to lay roads and construct the stormwater drain (SWD) on the street. They also cited an ongoing property dispute before the court and invoked a judicial stay order to halt the infrastructure work in the locality. Despite multiple petitions submitted to civic authorities over the past decade, there has been no progress in resolving the issue or providing alternative civic solutions. 

After the TVK came to power, representatives have submitted petitions to the MLA’s office on two separate occasions, reiterating the urgent need for basic facilities such as proper roads, street lights, SWDs, and sewage pipelines. Ward 34 councillor K Sharmila Gandhi (DMK) said, “The land through which a road needs to be laid, is owned by three brothers. The land is under litigation, and each of the brothers is a tahsildar, police officer and lawyer. Using their influence, they do not allow any basic development works to be done on or around that land. After milling it, when we were about to lay the road, the brothers cited court litigation and stopped the work.”

Frustrated by the persistent inaction despite repeated complaints, residents gathered at the Perambur MLA office on Monday morning and blocked the entrances. Upon receiving information about the protest, personnel from the MKB Nagar police station arrived at the scene to maintain order and mediate between the demonstrators.  

Chennai district secretary K Siva Kumar arrived at the venue to talk to the aggrieved residents. He assured the protesters that their longstanding demands would be brought directly to the attention of the Chief Minister to expedite solutions to the civic infrastructure issues. Following assurances, the residents agreed to call off the protest.