As India gets ready to vote to decide who will represent the country in Parliament, Citizen Matters is speaking to elected representatives from Chennai, ahead of the Lok Sabha 2024 elections.
As part of this series, we had a chat with Kalanidhi Veerasamy, incumbent MP from Chennai North constituency. Dr Kalanidhi has been given the ticket by his party DMK to contest from the same constituency in the 2024 polls.
Read more: Lok Sabha 2024: Know your MP — Dr Kalanidhi Veerasamy, Chennai North
Chennai North and Dr Kalanidhi Veerasamy
Dr Kalanidhi, son of veteran DMK leader and former state minister Arcot N Veerasamy, had his debut political journey in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections from Chennai North constituency. Notably, Chennai North constituency registered 61.46 % votes, marking the highest of all three constituencies in Chennai city.
However, a lot has changed over the last few months. Residents of North Chennai have been dealt many blows with the Cyclone Michaung wreaking havoc, coupled with the oil spill and ammonia gas leak. This gravely affected people in the region and could have repercussions in the political scenario.
The people in and around Ennore have been protesting since December 26 with a demand to close the Coromandel International Limited plant (CIL) that caused the ammonia gas leak. With the Lok Sabha polls scheduled for April 19, four villages in Ennore, including Periyakuppam, Chinnakuppam, Ernavoorkuppam, and Ennorekuppam, have announced that they will boycott the upcoming Lok Sabha elections to protest government inaction against the CIL.
From industrial pollution to a lack of basic amenities like quality education, medical care, road facilities and waste management, the issues in this constituency are enormous.
Read more: Floods, oil spill and ammonia gas leak…what other horrors await Chennai’s Ennore?
In this video interview with Kalanidhi Veerasamy, we deep-dived into issues plaguing the residents of the Chennai North constituency, the initiatives he undertook during his term as MP, his poll promises from 2019 elections that he kept, the promises that he failed to fulfil and other pressing issues that need attention.
Dr Kalanidhi speaks about improving educational facilities by bringing a Kendriya Vidyalaya School, medical college and hospital, engineering college and improving sports facilities in the region. He also says that he has recommended conducting a health survey in the areas affected by industrial pollution and will work towards decongesting the traffic caused by heavy vehicles. He said converting the reclaimed land from biomining in Kodungaiyur dump yard into a park will serve as a breathing space for the residents.
Watch the full interview here: