Date:24/12/2007 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2007/12/24/stories/2007122451460300.htm

Tamil Nadu

Rain hits normal life in Chengam

Staff Reporter

Kottavalam in Puduplayam is completely submerged

CHEnGAM: Incessant rain over the last few days has created havoc in the Chengam block in Tiruvannamalai district.

Kottavalam in Puduplayam Panchayat Union was the worst hit, with the entire area submerged.

Chinnakanu Dorairaj, president, Kottavalam Panchayat, told The Hindu that the area, with a population of over 6,000 people, faced great hardship, with residents finding it difficult to carry out even routine activities. He said he had been demanding for an elevated bridge to cross the lake area. But the District Administration had turned a deaf ear to his pleas.

Over 500 students from Kottavalam went to Higher Secondary Schools at Ammapalayam, Kollapadi, Chengam and Tiruvannamalai. Their going to school had been affected.

The middle school at Kottavalam had been functioning for over a century. The president said there was a long pending demand to upgrade the school to Higher Secondary level. If this was considered, students from Kottavalam and six hamlet villages would stand to benefit. “The District Education Department must actively consider the demand, as imparting uninterrupted education is one of the prime roles of any administration,” Mr. Dorairaj said.