Chennai: Chief Minister Vijay on Monday announced a development package worth ₹1,550 crore for the Madhurantakam and Dharapuram Assembly constituencies, soon after his party’s candidates won the recent by-elections in both seats.
The bypolls were held on October 6 in Chengalpattu district’s Madhurantakam and Tiruppur district’s Dharapuram. Candidates Maragatham Kumaravel and Sathyabama, fielded by the ruling party led by Vijay, secured victories, increasing the party’s strength in the Assembly.
Both winners had earlier been elected as AIADMK MLAs in the April Assembly election, but later resigned and joined Vijay’s party. Their candidature drew criticism from opposition parties, but the government said the new announcements were aimed at meeting long-pending local needs.
According to an official statement, the Madhurantakam constituency will see a series of works including a check dam across the Pukkathurai lake outlet at Athimanam village (₹5 crore), repairs to sluices at a PWD tank in Sembundi (₹4.5 crore), desilting and strengthening of a lake in Nelvai (₹1.3 crore), and a new community hall at Thinnalur (₹70 lakh).
The package also includes six paddy procurement centres (₹1.8 crore), a 20,000-tonne storage godown at Athur (₹20 crore), a state seed farm spread over 25 acres (₹10 crore), a new government women’s arts and science college at Acharapakkam (₹20 crore), a detailed project report to assess a high-level check dam across the Palar between Padalam and Udhayampakkam, restoration of the 30-km Madhurantakam high-level canal built in 1984 to benefit 30 tanks, a new accident and emergency care wing at the Madhurantakam government hospital (₹10 crore), a tourism-oriented park at Madhurantakam lake, a working women’s hostel for municipal staff, a knowledge centre for youth (₹3 crore), a weekly market (₹4 crore), new stormwater drains, upgradation of Pukkathurai government high school to higher secondary, a mini sports facility at Karunguzhi (₹80 lakh), an additional transformer at the Madhurantakam substation (₹3 crore), and new housing for economically weaker and homeless families through the Tamil Nadu Urban Habitat Development Board.
