Kanimozhi eyes consecutive win from flood battered Thoothukudi

Thoothukudi (TN): 26-year-old Calap Manickaraj lost three business days in December 2023 as he had to shut his mobile accessories shop near the main bus terminus in this port city after the locality was flooded due to unprecedented rains. Manickaraj says though the flood water was drained out quickly, the DMK dispensation should have “prepared itself better” to handle floods rather than waiting for the calamity to happen.

“I understand that the rainfall was unprecedented. But some losses could have been averted with better planning. The storm water drains are being constructed now but this could have been done before the monsoon last year,” Manickaraj told DH, even as he praised the state government and MP Kanimozhi Karunanidhi for “being with the people” through the crisis.

Manickaraj sums up the mood in Thoothukudi, where Kanimozhi is seeking re-election after having won by a wide margin in 2019, the constituency that bore the brunt of heavy rains and subsequent floods. Kanimozhi is pitted against “not-so-strong and popular” candidates – R Sivasamy Velumani (AIADMK), S D R Vijayaseelan (Tamil Maanila Congress of the BJP alliance), and Rowena Ruth Jane of Naam Tamizhar Katchi (NTK).

Issues vary from one assembly constituency to the other

Comprising of Thoothukudi, Tiruchendur, Vilathikulam, Kovilpatti, Srivaikundam, and Ottapidaram (SC) with a diverse mix of Nadars, Dalits, Mukulathors, and minorities, the needs of the people in the Lok Sabha constituency varies from one constituency to the other.

People outside Thoothukudi want immediate repair of roads damaged during floods and better drinking water facilities, while those in the city are demanding more “non-polluting” industries that will provide jobs for locals as the region is home to many polluting industries, including thermal power plants. In Kovilpatti, the match works industry, which is mostly small scale, wants the government’s intervention in saving the fast dying sector.

Other issues that people in the constituency raise are fast-tracking of the proposed Furniture Park in Thoothukudi and much-needed expansion of the airport, which serves three districts, including Kanyakumari and Tirunelveli.

Kanimozhi’s response to floods

Though there is dissatisfaction with the state government over its handling of floods, people whom DH spoke to in Thoothukudi, and surrounding villages acknowledged that lawmakers and the administration were swift in sending them food and arranging for basic amenities immediately after the calamity hit the district.

While some recalled Kanimozhi visiting some of the worst-affected areas in scooters and other ministers carrying out relief work, the general opinion is the government should learn from its mistakes to prepare better in handling such natural disasters, but the “discontent” is unlikely to play spoilsport for the DMK’s woman face, who is popular here.

Besides her personal popularity, Kanimozhi is banking on the welfare schemes of the DMK government, the alliance strength, minorities, and Nadars, the caste to which her mother belongs, for a second term in Lok Sabha. The government providing Rs 6,000 relief to people in the district will also come to Kanimozhi’s aid.

“I had to send my car to a workshop after it was damaged in the floods. The saving grace is we were shifted to a near-by place where we got food. Kanimozhi herself came to our place and gave relief materials,” Pandi, a cab driver, told DH.

However, Kanagaraj said the government didn’t “rise up to the occasion” by recounting his plight of being stuck in his marooned home for two days. “The focus should be on urban infrastructure as the city grows. The government should come up with a proper plan to save the city from flooding in the future,” he said.

‘More non-polluting industries needed’

Locals said the state government should bring more modern factories – Vietnamese electric vehicle company VinFast is building its first India factory near Thoothukudi with an initial investment of Rs 4,000 crores – to the constituency with a special focus on creating local jobs to uplift people’s economic status.

“We need more modern factories that provide a good job environment and high-paying jobs for our youngsters. Since Thoothukudi has a major port, the government and lawmakers should hard sell the city to ensure that the district gets more factories,” Lawrence, a local, said.

Sterlite still an issue

Though Sterlite Copper smelter was closed six years ago after massive protests against its expansion, the Vedanta-owned company is still an issue for many in Thoothukudi.

“The factory should be dismantled, and the land should be handed over to SIPCOT for housing some other industry that is non-pollutant. Unless the factory remains in Thoothukudi, one party or the other will keep raking it up. It is better to close it once for all,” Paulraj, an auto rickshaw driver, told DH.

Sterlite was one of the key issues in the 2019 and 2021 elections in Thoothukudi but it is almost a settled matter now with the Supreme Court junking the Vedanta-owned company’s plea to reconsider the Madras High Court verdict that upheld the Tamil Nadu government’s decision to close down the copper smelter.