Victory for Sundapur Villagers: Poll Boycott Ends with Promised Road Project in Erode District!
Residents of Sundapur in the Bargur Hills of Tamil Nadu recently threatened to boycott the Assembly election scheduled for April 23 due to a lack of adequate road access. The hamlet, which falls under the Anthiyur Assembly constituency and has 384 voters-195 men and 189 women-demanded better connectivity, arguing their basic needs were being overlooked.
Sundapur is located approximately 6 km from the Thamaraikarai–Bargur stretch on the Anthiyur–Kollegal Road and can only be accessed via a challenging 3-km forest track through the Thamaraikarai Reserve Forest, followed by an additional 3 km on a non-motorable path within Bargur panchayat. The community, predominantly comprised of Lingayat families, has never had a proper tar road; the only existing road, a 1-km stretch built by the panchayat, is now in disrepair and provides insufficient access, making daily movement increasingly difficult.
Previously, a road project sanctioned under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) Phase III, estimated at ₹2.82 crore in 2021, was canceled due to land issues. The project requires 18,000 sq. meters of land, but only 8,100 sq. meters is currently available. Additional compensatory land of 10,000 sq. meters has been identified, and an application for its diversion has been submitted online. The Centre has, in principle, approved the diversion of 1.494 hectares of forest land, but final clearance is still pending.
A banner demanding the government address their road concerns before voting-reading “Lay road, seek votes”—was prominently displayed at the hamlet’s entrance. Following a report on their plight published in The Hindu on March 29, election officials, along with police, visited Sundapur three times to engage with residents. However, initial discussions did not lead to any tangible results, as villagers remained steadfast in their demands.
On April 2, a delegation of ten villagers engaged with the Block Development Officer (BDO) in Anthiyur. During this meeting, officials outlined the current status of the road project and explained the constraints imposed by the Model Code of Conduct, which restricts the sanctioning of new funds during election periods. A resident who participated in the discussions shared, “Based on the assurances provided, we decided to withdraw our protest and vote.” They removed the banner, but emphasized that their demand for a road must be fulfilled by the government that forms after the elections.
The lack of reliable road access has serious implications for residents. Pregnant women and patients are often transported in makeshift cloth cradles to the main road during the monsoon, from where they can access transportation to hospitals. The situation underscores the critical need for improved infrastructure in this remote community, highlighting the intersection of basic civic needs and the electoral process in Tamil Nadu.
As the election date approaches, the Sundapur villagers are hopeful that their voices will lead to meaningful change, urging authorities to prioritize infrastructure development that has long been neglected.
Original Source: https://www.thehindu.com/elections/tamil-nadu-assembly/tamil-nadu-assembly-polls-sundapur-villagers-withdraw-poll-boycott-after-assurance-on-road-project-in-erode-district/article70822633.ece
Category : Tamil Nadu
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Publish Date: 2026-04-04 14:48:00
