Residents of Velayudhapuram village at the Collectorate in Thoothukudi on Monday.
| Photo Credit: N. RAJESH
A large number of villagers from A Velayuthapuram in K Kumarettiyapuram panchayat, V Thalavaipuram near Eppodhumvendran and Achankulam in Kayathar union in the district on Monday submitted separate petitions at the Collectorate, alleging that employment under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) was not being provided regularly.The petition was submitted at the weekly grievance redressal meeting chaired by Collector Vishu Mahajan.According to the petition from villagers from V Thalaivaipuram, no work had been carried out under the scheme in the village for the past two months, thereby affecting the livelihood of the villagers. Work for only 50 days was provided last year, with officials citing lack of funds as the reason.The petitioners said agriculture was the primary livelihood of the villagers and they had been affected in that as well.The petition from Achankulam villagers said the Achankulam village panchayat comprised four hamlets, and works were carried out by dividing them into three sections. However, for the current financial year 2026-2027, no work had been allocated for the villages, thereby affecting their source of income.Meanwhile the villagers of A Velayuthapuram also echoed similar concern about lack of jobs under MGNREGS. However, they said that villagers of K Kumarettiyapuram were provided with employment under the scheme. The villagers urged the authorities to look into the issue and provide jobs regularly under MGNREGS.In a separate petition, residents of Lekkampatti village in Manthikulam panchayat said they purchased essential commodities from fair price shops in Ilandaikulam village which caused several inconvenience. As there were around 200 ration card holders in Lekkampatti, they requested the establishment of a separate ration shop at their village. Published - June 01, 2026 08:24 pm IST
