Public urges T.N. government to announce Attur as separate district

Traders and the public have urged the State Government to bifurcate Salem district, create Attur as a separate district and make an announcement in this regard during the ongoing Assembly session.

Attur, a municipality located 50 km away from Salem town, is known for sago mills, tapioca farming, and educational institutions. For the past 15 years, residents of Attur have been demanding to create Attur as a separate district, and resolutions were passed in this regard at Grama Sabha meetings.

In 2014, during the AIADMK regime, the Revenue Department conducted meetings with the people, but, the matter was kept in abeyance. In the DMK regime, in 2021, during a function held at Attur, the then Minister K.N. Nehru assured them to consider recognising Attur as a Municipal Corporation by merging Attur and Narasingapuram municipalities. However, the proposal has not seen the light of day in the past five years.

S. Sekar, a resident of Attur, said with four taluks, Attur, Pethanaickenpalayam, Thalaivasal, and Gangavalli, a separate district can be created. At present, if people residing at Vellaiyur or Puliyankurichi in Thalaivasal Taluk need to reach the Salem Collectorate, they have to travel around 80 to 85 km.

If Attur is recognised as a district, farmers will benefit at large, as they can reach the Collectorate in 30 to 35 km from Attur. The Chief Minister should make an announcement during the Assembly session to create Attur as a separate district,” he added.

When contacted, Attur MLA A.P. Jayasankaran said, during the 2021 Assembly elections, DMK president M.K. Stalin, during his election campaign, announced that Attur would be made as a separate district.

“While I requested that Attur be made a Municipal Corporation, the then DMK government denied the request, citing a lack of population. I will raise the demand for a separate district in this ongoing Assembly session,” the AIADMK MLA added.