By The Hindu Bureau

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The ward-level grievances redress meeting was organised in all 55 wards of Tirunelveli Corporation on Monday as the urban civic body, conducting weekly grievances redress meetings on Tuesdays, believes that the micro-level meetings would address the basic problems prevailing in the residential areas.

Since most of the roads within the Corporation remains badly damaged due to slowly progressing underground drainage project, the residents, facing a lot of hardship, are flooding the Corporation with petitions appealing for early completion of the work and re-laying of the damaged roads. However, the Corporation, which is expecting to complete only 80% of the underground drainage works by December, can only repair the roads where it is badly needed and cannot take the full-fledged road laying works with Melapalayam and Palayamkottai Zones being the worst-hit.

When the ruling party functionaries, along with the councillors met the voters in the Parliamentary elections last year, they had to face the electorate’s anger at several places especially in the wards under Melapalayam Zone.

Fearing backlash in the upcoming Assembly election in May 2026 also, the Corporation, in a bid to address other issues like streamlining of drinking water supply, park uplift, street lights installation and other issues, has started organising ward-wise meetings.

Mayor G. Ramakrishnan, who participated in the meeting held in his ward 25, assured the residents, that all damaged roads within the Corporation limits would be laid after the underground drainage work was completed.

He said 226 area meetings had been conducted so far in 55 wards and the meeting was organised on Monday to mark the birth anniversary of late Chief Minister C.N. Annadurai.

“The residents should participate in the area meetings in their wards to understand the ongoing works and submit your demands to the councillor concerned,” Mr. Ramakrishnan said.