Candidates in the fray in 100 wards of the city have been making promises of improving water supply, garbage collection, improving street light coverage and cleaning the drainage regularly.
But in their promises and campaign speeches of their political masters, the silence on the Kerala government to reduce the water level in Siruvani reservoir, which caters to the water needs of 30 out of 100 wards, is evident.
activist K. Kathiramathion says that the CPI-M government in Kerala reducing storage levels before summer had not become a political hot potato during the local body elections is very clear and surprising and worrying.
A party leader, speaking on condition of anonymity, says there is a clear reason the DMK won’t talk about it, as the CPI-M has been kept as an ally in the secular Progressive Alliance. The second thing is that it is in power in the state.
Another issue on which political parties and candidates have remained silent is the proposed relocation of the VOC Park Zoo. An AIADMK candidate says that though it is an issue which has been raised during the elections, political parties are not talking about it as it does not concern most of the people.
The candidates in fray are mostly talking about ward level issues and not touching city level issues as there is no direct election for Coimbatore mayorship. AIADMK and DMK leaders say that if there was a direct election, those in the race to be elected would have exposed such issues across the city.
An AIADMK MLA regrets that the party did not raise the issue. This is probably because many people are not aware, he explains the reason.
There are many more issues that concern voters on a day-to-day basis but are not gaining political traction, Mr. Kathiramathion said in obtaining approval of the building plan, additional area residents or paying commercial charges for sewage treatment. Referring to the problem faced by the apartment owners who do and water treatment plants.
Plan approval is a unique problem for Coimbatore. But it is not being talked about while issues related to local body elections like NEET are being mentioned in political speeches.
Coimbatore South MLA and BJP leader Vanathi Srinivasan says the zoo’s shifting is not being highlighted as it takes a back seat to bad roads, erratic water supply and poor street lights – issues that people are more concerned about. are worried.
Residents of the city are seeking to combat congestion in the city by relocating markets, but it is rarely mentioned in campaign speeches, harasses a city worker on condition of anonymity.
CPI(M) district secretary and local body election candidate V. Ramamurthy says Siruvani is not being highlighted as it is related to only a part of the city and there are alternative water sources to make up for Siruvani’s shortfall.
CPI district secretary VS Sundaram says that the implementation of the third Pillur water supply scheme and removal of water distribution anomalies will help solve the problem of Siruvani shortage and hence is not being mentioned in the campaigns.
The worker expects that the new council will take up important issues like Siruvani, delay in bus stand construction, plan approvals and many more, although they are not doing so yet, their representatives will
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