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Madras High Court asks Stalin to visit tribal villages in Kalvarayan Hills
The Madras high court on Wednesday asked CM MK Stalin to visit the villages in Kallakurichi where last month’s hooch tragedy claimed 68 lives.
The Madras high court on Wednesday asked either chief minister MK Stalin or minister Udhayanidhi Stalin to visit the villages around Kalvarayan hills in Kallakurichi, where last month’s hooch tragedy claimed 68 lives.
The court observed this during a suo moto hearing of the case to protect the socio-economic status of those residing around the Kalvarayan hills, which are part of Kallakurichi and Salem districts.
A division bench of Justices SM Subramaniam and C Kumarappan instructed the government to take stock of people’s complaints that the scheduled tribe population residing in the region is involved in the sale of spurious liquor due to poverty.
“Our request is that either the honourable chief minister or the sports minister Udhayanidhi Stalin can visit the hamlets along with the Adi Dravidar welfare minister (Kayalvizhi Selvaraj) and practically see the plight of these people,” Justice Subramaniam said.
The court said that only a visit from highest level government officials can ensure short term relief such as providing basic amenities of electricity, drinking water and long-term rehabilitation such as employment opportunities.
“The history of the region reveals that the State has completely neglected the region and the officials of revenue and forest department were not even bothered about them,” the court said. Advocate general PS Raman was directed to apprise the chief minister, sports minister Udhayanidhi, and Adi Dravidar welfare minister Kayalvizhi Selvaraj to visit the place.
“They have not exercised voting rights till 1996. We don’t know what the political parties were doing for so long and what the government was doing,” the bench said, adding the Kalvarayan Hills region was annexed with the Indian territory only after Emergency in 1976.
The court posted the matter to July 26 for the government to submit a status report on the present condition of villages surrounding the Kalvarayan hills.
The Kallakurichi hooch tragedy on June 19 eventually claimed 68 lives after locals in the region consumed illicit liquor laced with methanol.The CB-CID is currently investigating the incident in which less than a dozen accused have been arrested.
