Chennai, Jan 18( BPNS)
A fresh controversy has erupted in Salem district with demands over new district be carved out from Attur, Mettur, and Edappadi. While AIADMK was pushing for Edappadi during the regime of Edappadi K. Palaniswami.
The Kongu Nadu Makkal Desiya Katchi (KMDK), an ally of the DMK has already passed a resolution demanding Attur as the headquarters of the new district to be carved out of Salem. Attur is 50 km from Salem and claims for Attur has been going the rounds for the past decade until Edappadi K. Palaniswami became the Chief Minister in 2017. During Edappadi Palaniswami’s period calls for making Edappadi as the headquarters of the new district was going the rounds.
K. Karthikeyan, Social activist, and Chairman, Salem Peoples Group, a study group based out of Salem while speaking to BPNS said, “ The call for Attur as the headquarters for the new district to be carved out from Salem is reasonable. It is difficult to make Edappadi as the district headquarters unless Salem district is trifurcated. “
However Kongu Nadu Makkal Desiya Katchi (KMDK) MLA, E.R. Eswaran MLA had submitted a memorandum before the state municipal administration minister, K.N. Nehru about the demand, and the Minister has assured that he would take up the matter with the Chief Minister, M.K. Stalin.
E. R. Eswaran while speaking to BPNS said,” Attur is a place suited for the headquarters of the new district as it is only 50 km away from Salem district headquarters and is geographically ideal. More than this the people of Attur have been expecting the announcement any time as this has been a major campaign since the past decade.”
However the Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) has put in a demand for carving out Mettur as the new district with the sitting MLA from the PMK, S. Sadasivam requesting the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister to make Mettur the new district.
The coalition partners of the PMK, AIADMK, and the BJP are not amused by the suggestion of the PMK and BJP leader R,P. Gopinath while speaking to BPNS said, “ We don’t know as to why PMK has made such a demand but the ideal location if Salem is bifurcated, will be Attur.”
AIADMK leader and former Mettur MLA, S, Semmalai while speaking to BPNS on Tuesday said, “ Attur is the ideal place to headquarter a new district. I don’t know why PMK MLA has made a demand for making Mettur as the headquarter of the new district.
