Dharmapuri: Residents of more than 10 villages in Pattukkonampatty panchayat near Pappireddipatty in Dharmapuri district, including Adimalai Puthur and Kalipettai, have announced an election boycott, over lack of road access to a crematorium.Residents accused officials and politicians of ignoring repeated appeals, hoisted black flags in the village and staged a protest on Thursday. They raised slogans demanding that a road be laid immediately to provide proper access to the crematorium.More than 1,000 hill tribe residents live in Nonanganur. Residents say that the access road leading to the burial ground near the village, has been encroached. “The community had been fighting for more than 50 years for access to the crematorium road. Several petitions have been submitted to the village administrative officer, district collector, as well as to leaders of the DMK and AIADMK, MPs, MLAs and ministers, but no action had been taken. Political leaders make promises before elections but fail to return afterward,” said P Subramani, a villager. Locals are therefore demanding that the road be laid before the election, failing which they will boycott the assembly elections on April 23.
