Nothing to cheer for Trichy, Madurai

Trichy: The maiden state budget presented by the TVK-led govt came as a disappointment for Trichy city as there were no specific projects or fund allocation for long-pending infrastructure projects. Trichy East, which, along with Perambur, elected CM Joseph Vijay to the assembly, cannot boast of even a consolation prize let alone big-ticket projects.Trichiites said they had high hopes on fund allocation for two flyovers to decongest the city, including one connecting Melachinthamani near Chathiram bus stand with Mallachipuram on Trichy-Karur NH, another between HPO signal and Puthur signal passing through MGMGH. Same is the case of a new link road from MGR statue near district court to Sunnambukaranpatti, an alternative to decongest Vayalur road and western suburbs.“TNSTC Trichy was a long-pending demand, but despite representations made to CM recently, it was not fulfilled. The name Trichy has not been mentioned anywhere in the budget document,” Rajitvel Perumal, member of Trichy Intra-City Development Endeavours (TIDES), said.Locals said the neglect was despite TVK winning six of the nine segments in the district in the assembly election, the highest for the party in the delta districts. “Recently, the CM stated that Perambur and Trichy East were like his two eyes. But while Perambur got funds for new schemes, Trichy East is not only deprived of a representative but also new projects,” H Ghouse Baig, secretary of consumer protection council, Ponmalai branch, said.While Cauvery has been included under the river tourism project, the proposal did not mention where a part of the total Rs53 crore investment will be spent. The budget received mixed response from MSMEs and industries in the region. “Fund allocation for the MSME sector looks promising, but we expected subsidies in electricity charges. Dry port to simplify and boost exports, and a solution for Trichy-Thanjavur NH service road issue were ignored,” said P Rajappa, president, Trichy District Tiny and Small Scale Industries Association (Tiditssia).Trichy Small Industries Micro Manufacturers Association (Tidisimma) said that for a balanced regional development, specific announcements should be made in the demand for grants to integrate Trichy’s industrial ecosystem into emerging defense, aerospace, and deep-tech frameworks.