Residents hoist black flags, threaten to boycott polls in Walajah due to lack of basic facilities

Residents of Walajah town in Ranipet have hoisted black flags in front of their houses and installed banners at street corners in the town, asking political parties not to visit the area to seek votes for 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections as the Walajapet municipality has failed to provide civic amenities to the area all these years. 

Residents said that areas like Venketachalapathy Nagar, Kadaparayan Nagar, Salabath Nagar, Venketaraman Nagar and surrounding areas form part of 13th ward of the civic body that comprises 33 wards within its limits. More than 3,200 voters are inhabitants of the ward. “These areas do not have proper roads, streetlights, water supply, and underground drainage systems. Efforts have not been taken by the civic body to provide basic amenities,” said K. Banu, a resident.

As repeated pleas with government authorities and elected representatives have not improved their living conditions, residents erected banners in the area against voting for the upcoming elections. They have also asked political parties not to visit houses for votes. 

Residents said that at present, the residential areas have only muddy stretches to go to central parts of Walajah town. Over the years, the stretches have gone a few feet lower than key arterial stretches in the town. As a result, residential colonies get inundated during monsoon, affecting movement of people and vehicles.

Open stormwater drains have not been desilted for many years. As a result, discharge of excess rainwater remains challenging as drains get clogged during monsoon. Also, most of the houses still depend on individual septic tanks as the civic body has not initiated steps for underground drainage within its limits.

Residents said that residential colonies have been facing water scarcity during summer for the past few years. Irregular water supply by the civic body, including filling of water tanks at street corners has affected residents as they have to walk for at least three km to fetch a few pots of water for domestic needs. They said that existing water pipelines should be revamped to ensure tail end areas also get adequate water at regular intervals.

Residents said that they have submitted petitions to the District Election Officer and Collector J.U. Chandrakala and municipal officials during grievances meetings. However, no action has been taken to address civic woes in the area.

Municipal officials said that steps will be taken to provide basic amenities to affected areas in the coming weeks.