Announce Kumbakonam as new district in upcoming budget: Federation

CHENNAI: The Federation of All Traders Associations of Kumbakonam and the Kumbakonam New District Struggle Committee on Thursday approached the TVK ministers, urging them to initiate steps to bifurcate Kumbakonam district in the upcoming budget session.

According to the federation secretary V Sathyanarayanan, the struggle group approached ministers N Anand, N Marie Wilson and S Ramesh and submitted separate petitions to fulfil their several decades-old demand for a separate Kumbakonam district.

The petitions noted that Kumbakonam was serving as the capital of the Chola dynasty and that it was a ‘jilla’ (a revenue district) under British rule with all due infrastructure that is still present in Kumbakonam.

Sathyanarayanan also stated that Kumbakonam houses all required offices to function as a separate revenue district except the Collectorate and the SP office.

He pointed out that they have been fighting for several decades for a separate Kumbakonam district. “During the previous DMK government, six new revenue districts were established. But no steps were taken for the separate Kumbakonam district. Even Mayiladuthurai, which has Mayiladuthurai, Sirkazhi and Poompuhar constituencies, was made a separate district, but our voices went unheard despite it being a popular promise during every election," the petitions stated.

The struggle group demanded that the government announce a separate Kumbakonam district comprising Kumbakonam, Papanasam and Tiruvidaimarudur constituencies in the upcoming state budget session.

Pointing out that the initial works have commenced for the world-famous Kumbakonam Mahamaham festival, which is scheduled for 2028, they noted that the realisation of a separate new Kumbakonam district would pave the way for hassle-free administration.