Infrastructure gaps impede development in Krishnagiri
The Krishnagiri Lok Sabha constituency has to its
credit many specialities such as, the much contentious Cauvery River
entering the State at Biligundlu, substantial mineral (granite) wealth
and the hub of horticulture and floriculture products.
Bordering
Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, the influence of linguistic minorities
such as ‘Vokkaligas,’ ‘Lingayats,’ from Karnataka and the ‘Reddys’ from
Andhra Pradesh hold the key in three Assembly segments of Thally, Hosur
and Veppanahalli. The other dominant communities are the OBC ‘Vanniyars’
who form 20 per cent of the electorate, the Dalits (16 per cent) and
‘Vellalars’ (11.5 per cent).
Since the 1951 Lok
Sabha elections, the Congress has won eight times in this constituency.
Stalwarts such as C. Subramaniam (elected in the 1971 by-election) and
C.R. Narasimhan, grandson of C. Rajagopalachari won the seat in the
first two elections.
Over 1500 tiny and small
ancillary auto industries, auto majors and a watch industry provide
direct and indirect employment to thousands of locals and migrant
labourers. Yet, the lack of efforts on the part of the Centre and State
governments to improve industrialisation and infrastructure is a key
issue in this constituency.
The SIPCOT industrial
estate established in Bargur Panchayat Union on 1300 acres has not taken
off due to lack of basic amenities. The Bolupalli SIPCOT industrial
estate project is also yet to move ahead due to high land rates fixed by
the authorities, says an office-bearer of the ‘Hosur Small and Tiny
Industries Association.’
Further, Krishnagiri does
not have a direct train to Chennai, as the train to Tirupathur was
withdrawn nearly five decades ago. The proposed rail link between
Jolarpet and Hosur via Krishnagiri and Shoolagiri is pending with the
Planning Commission for over a year.
“The immediate
demand is a direct train between Hosur and Chennai via Bangalore till
the new rail line is laid’’ said M. Thulasidoss, Secretary, Hosur
Payanigal Membattu Sangam.
Expansion of the Krishnagiri-Tiruvannamalai National Highway into four-lane has not happened.
Having
zeroed in on this seat quite early, the Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK)
nominated its president G.K. Mani. He, in fact, started campaigning in
October last year. The ruling AIADMK has fielded former District
Panchayat Chairman K. Ashok Kumar from the ‘Vellala Goundar’ community
and the DMK candidate is P. Chinna Pillappa, a lawyer belonging to
‘Kurumbar’ community.
The All India Congress
Committee secretary A. Chellakumar, who has got the party ticket this
time and N.S.M. Gowda of Janata Dal (Secular), who is contesting with
the support of Communist Party of India (Marxist) are among the other
key contestants.
The DMK has won the seat twice in
the last two elections in 2004 and 2009, when it was an ally of the
Congress. This time, both the parties face the PMK, which is part of the
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) alliance that claims a ‘Modi factor’ in
its favour. The poll code here is all the more hard to crack as the
election date approaches.
