Date:03/01/2009 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2009/01/03/stories/2009010352220300.htm

Tamil Nadu

Encroachments obstructing entrance of panchayat office

Staff Reporter

Meeting seeks new buildings for anganwadis

Photo: N. Bashkaran

Civic issue: Encroachers occupying space in front of Veppanahalli Panchayat Office. —

KRISHNAGIRI: Encroachers obstruct the entrance of the Veppanahalli Panchayat Office. A mutton stall and an eatery shop welcome the visitors to the office. The panchayat comes under the Vappanahalli Union.

Local people said they were unable to enter the office through a small passage in between the shops. Even the concrete information board kept in front of the office was blocked by the shops. One cannot view the information board from the road.

The meeting of the Panchayat-Level Convergence Committee, which was being conducted on the first Friday of each month, was held under the chairmanship of P.M. Shabana Shamshuddin, in which the six headmasters of the local pancyat schools, five anganwadi teachers, four village volunteers, a ward member and UNICEF coordinators participated.

It was decided to approach the Block Development Officer for construction of new buildings for Pommidipettai, Majid Street, Chinna Pommalasampalli and Lakshmipuram anganwadis and to repair the old Thalikot anganwadi building.

The members also demanded shifting of the Veppanahalli anganwadi centre facing the main road due to unhygienic surroundings. The anganwadi workers said Rs. 60,000 was sanctioned for the new building but the authorities were yet to take any action to construct the building. As this village is very close to Andhra border, linguistic minorities are living in large numbers. For their welfare, three schools are functioning on the same premises. An Urdu Middle School, a Telugu Medium Primary School and a Tamil Medium Primary School are being run by the panchayat. Recently, a toilet block was constructed at the school, but it has no water facility. A hand pump near the Urdu school helps them to draw groundwater for drinking and other purposes.

The authorities did not take any step to construct an overhead tank atop the building or to keep plastic water storage tank in the school, the headmasters said.