The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Student contests from largest ward in Pallavaram

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Oct 11, 2006
ePaper

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Student contests from largest ward in Pallavaram

K. Manikandan

Wants to improve roads, sanitation, health and education

P. Revathy. — Photo: A.Muralitharan

TAMBARAM : People who followed the students' struggle at Queen Mary's College in Chennai during the previous regime might still remember some of the television frames where a young spectacled girl challenged the establishment.

Resisting police attempts to enter the campus of the institution, raising slogans against the government and powers-that be for attempting to take over the premises for a new Secretariat, the student was in her first year then. Today, P. Revathy, a second year Tamil Literature student is contesting as an independent councillor with `Ink Pot' as her symbol from Ward No. 12 of Pallavaram Municipality, with students canvassing for her.

There are 12 other candidates in the fray in this ward, the largest in the municipality with 6,390 voters. Recalling that it was a collective decision of eight residents' welfare associations that combined to form the Federation of 12th Ward where she stayed, her friends in Kattabomman Nagar said they wanted to field an educated person who would work for the public interest. And their unanimous choice was Revathy, the residents said.

Ms. Revathy, studying at the Marina campus, said she did not plan to spend more than Rs. 15,000 on electioneering, including the nomination fee. So far, they had been only canvassing only door-to-door and distributing pamphlets.

In the last few days of the campaign, her supporters will hire authorickshaws, and put up a few posters.

According to the 22-year-old student, the residents of the Municipality had successfully struggled to bring projects such as road over bridge at MIT, among others, to fruition. But more importantly, people continued to suffer in the absence of proper sanitation and supply of safe drinking water. Roads were pathetic in Old Pallavaram and access to quality education for the poor was difficult.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Tamil Nadu