Coimbatore
The State government’s decision to carve out newer districts has brought back demands to bifurcate Coimbatore to create Pollachi as a new district. The government has already dropped hints about a proposal in this regard for administrative convenience.
If made into a separate district, Pollachi, the coconut capital of Tamil Nadu, is expected to flourish in many sectors. Though late chief minister J Jayalalithaa had initiated efforts to make Pollachi into a district, the proposal was stalled following a regime change, with the DMK announcing Tirupur as a separate district.
Tirupur was formed by carving out Tirupur, Udumalpet, Madathukulam, Palladam and parts of Avinashi from Coimbatore, besides a few taluks from Erode district. Villagers and traders had then protested against merger of Udumalpet and Madathukulam with Tirupur, as they found it longer to reach.
Now, the demand to merge Udumalpet to create Pollachi district is growing louder. Deputy Speaker ‘Pollachi’ V Jayaraman said that that this has been a long-time demand of people of Pollachi considering the growth potential of this region.
“The thriving coir and its allied industries, which earn overRs 2,000 crores of foreign revenue annually, may get further impetus, if Pollachi becomes a district,”said Jayaraman.
“It has been proposed to improve road connectivity to Thoothukudi and Cochin ports to transport coir products. Also four laning of Pollachi to Palakkad, six laning of Pollachi to Dindigul and other road infrastructure facilities are being developed by the State government. The process of identifying suitable places to set up industrial parks is also underway,”he added.
With its proximity to Kerala and improved rail connectivity after railway lines were converted into broadgauge, Pollachi also has the potential to woo tourists in large numbers to Valparai, Top Slip and Aliyar from the neighbouring State. In fact, the picturesque Pollachi is touted to earn several crores annually through its tourism sector.
“In the 90s, almost 40 per cent of the cinemas and TV serials used to be shot in Pollachi due to its scenic locations. Though this trend has faded in the recent past, the coconut town has greater prospects to again turn into a hotspot for movie shoots and may in turn help the exchequer, if Pollachi turns into a district,” said SK Gowthaman, president, Coimbatore District Coir and Allied Products Manufacturers Association. He is also a member of Coir Board that functions under the Centre.
Though Pollachi churns outthousands of youngsters from its numerous colleges, they continue to stare at poor job prospects due to lack of employment opportunities intheir hometown.
“Almost 60 per cent of the population in Pollachi constitute of youth in the age category of 15 to 45 years. They mostly move to metro cities for job. Once if Pollachi is upgraded into district, more investments and industries may come, thereby improving employment opportunities,” he said.
From Valparai, one needs to travel up to 100 kilometres to reach out to administrative officers in Coimbatore. “For all, it would come in handy if Pollachi is declared a district due to its proximity. Also, the people have to travel a long and tiring journey to Coimbatore to proceed either by train or bus to many parts of Tamil Nadu and across India. Transport facilities may improve if the proposal to make Pollachi as a separate district is fulfilled,” said ‘Vellai’ Natarajan, president of Netaji Subhash Chandra BoseIlaingar Peravai.
With increasing demand for creating Pollachi as a separate district, the quaint town is also bracing up for protests and demonstrations in the coming days by political parties andcivil groups.
The Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS)-Coimbatore South has planned get signatures from one lakh people to announce Pollachi as a separate district. The signed petition is likely to be sent to the State government for consideration.
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