The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Kalvarayan hills will be developed as tourist destination: Venkatapathi

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Jul 08, 2008
ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Kalvarayan hills will be developed as tourist destination: Venkatapathi

Special Correspondent

“Benefits of Bharat Nirman will be extended to the hamlets”

— Photo: C. Venkatachalapathy

HELPING THE NEEDY: Union Minister of State for Law K.Venkatapathi and State Higher Education Minister K.Ponmudy giving away assistance to the beneficiaries on the occasion of Summer Festival at the Kalvarayan Hills on Saturday.

VILLUPURAM: The Kalvarayan hills will be made a tourist destination with the Central Government’s assistance.

Speaking at the inaugural function of the two-day summer festival held on the hills on Saturday, he said the benefits of Bharat Nirman, an initiative to strengthen rural infrastructure, would be extended to the hamlets on the hills.

Mr. Venkatapathi said sub-stations would be set up on the hills to supply electricity to the remote areas. As the rate of literacy among the tribes of the hills was poor, efforts must be made to put at least their wards in school.

Tribal women with a qualification of Std. VIII were eligible to get marriage assistance from the State, whereas those in the plains would have to be studied up to class X to get the benefit.

Higher Education Minister K. Ponmudy said the festival was organised to sensitise the tribes to the government welfare schemes. Free colour television sets had been distributed in four of the 15 panchayats on the hills.

The other panchayats would be covered at one go. If need be, he would request the government to relax the rules, he said.

On the inaugural day, the Ministers gave away Rs. 32.21 lakh in aid, under various programmes, to 583 beneficiaries.

On Sunday, Mr. Venkatapathi distributed prizes to the winners of various competitions. School students staged cultural programmes, and the police dog squad exhibited their talents.

Residents of the Mel Pachal panchayat, comprising 15 hamlets, made a representation to Collector R. Palanisamy, seeking electricity supply to all hamlets. The villagers said they were dependent on streams and tanks for water. If electricity was supplied, they could draw water from wells. Furthermore, it would help their wards study at night. For want of electricity, they could not watch television.

Mr. Palanisamy promised to take urgent steps to supply electricity.

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

Tamil Nadu