Tamil Nadu   

Now they travel on right track

S. Vijay Kumar

Presidents of three reserved panchayats about to board a special train at Madurai junction on Sunday. — PHOTO: S. JAMES

MADURAI: It was an ``expedition'' like never before.

While many were beaming over their maiden visit to the State Capital, a few others seemed thrilled, as they waited in the Madurai railway station to take their unbelievably first train journey on Sunday.

The newly elected presidents of four Dalit panchayats in Madurai and Virudhunagar districts were among 250 villagers, who boarded a special train to participate in the `Samathuva Peruvizha' scheduled in Chennai for Monday. Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi will felicitate them.

After a decade, democracy was restored in the reserved panchayats of Keeripatti, Pappapatti, Nattarmangalam and Kottakatchiyendal, thanks to strenuous efforts on the part of the police and the district administration. Caste Hindus, who had been reluctant to allow a Dalit to govern them, sunk differences and paved the way for a successful conduct of the elections. "I will strive to create a caste-free society. With an elected body in place, we are hopeful that these villages will see unprecedented development works. Besides providing basic amenities, our priority is to establishment of an industry to create employment opportunities to locals," says M. Balusamy, president of the Keeripatti panchayat.

Historic journey

A few Caste Hindus said they would work together and develop the villages as model panchayats. "This is a historic journey that has begun from the caste-sensitive Usilampatti. The Government and the voters have given this responsibility to me. I will not let them down," says P. Periakaruppan, president of the Pappapatti panchayat.

Representatives of the Caste Hindus said it was a victory for democracy. Madurai Collector T. Udhayachandran, his Virudhunagar counterpart S.S. Jawahar, and Madurai MP P. Mohan accompanied the villagers.

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