Residents of Keeranatham Panchayat near Coimbatore passed a resolution during a village assembly meeting, stating that they would boycott the upcoming legislative assembly elections if the Tamil Nadu government does not withdraw the order to merge their panchayat with the Coimbatore Corporation.
The Tamil Nadu government had issued an order to expand the boundaries of municipal corporations by merging rural panchayats. Consultation meetings were held in various areas to gather public opinions on the matter. Following this, the government issued an order to merge one municipality, four town panchayats, and nine village panchayats—totaling 14 local bodies—with the Coimbatore Corporation.
Among these, Keeranatham Panchayat, part of the S.S. Kulam Union near Saravanampatti, was also marked for merger. On October 2, during a village assembly meeting, residents, political representatives, and social activists opposed the merger and passed a resolution against it.
Despite the opposition, the Tamil Nadu government proceeded with issuing the merger order. In response, the residents of Keeranatham submitted a petition to the district collector seeking the order’s withdrawal.
On Republic Day (January 26), a special village assembly meeting was held at the Mariamman Temple grounds in Keeranatham, presided over by special officer Dhanalakshmi and led by officer Balaji. During the meeting, participants, including residents, political leaders, and social activists, wore black badges to express their opposition to the merger.
Residents raised concerns that the merger would lead to significant challenges:
• The loss of employment opportunities under the 100-day work scheme.
• Sharp increases in property tax, water charges, and garbage disposal fees.
• The imposition of new taxes on vacant lands and higher development fees for construction.
They emphasized that these changes would force residents to struggle for basic amenities under the municipal corporation. They demanded that the Tamil Nadu government withdraw the merger plan to avoid these hardships.
The resolution also included a warning: if the government does not withdraw the merger order before the upcoming legislative assembly elections, residents of Keeranatham would surrender their family ration cards to the district administration and boycott the elections entirely.
Some residents criticized the arrangements for the assembly meeting, alleging that the government officers in charge failed to provide proper seating or drinking water facilities, calling the meeting a superficial exercise to fulfill formalities.
