Constituency round-up: Candidates and key issues in Ambattur

If you are a voter in Ambattur constituency, check this out before you vote: from the profile of the incumbent MLA to the list of candidates and key issues this year.

In 2011, Ambattur was one among the areas that were added to the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC). The neighbourhood has the biggest small scale industrial estate in South Asia and is witnessing a boom in the IT industry. While the quality of roads has improved in the recent past, overall development over the last three decades still leaves much to be desired. As an industrial estate, Ambattur constituency is home to a floating population, due to which the area falls behind in citizen activism. Since 2011, the constituency has seen an AIADMK candidate in the MLA seat.

Some of the areas in Ambattur constituency: Krishnapuram, Kallikuppam, Thathankuppam, Madhanankuppam, Oragadam, Korattur, Menambedu, Venkatapuram

Amabattur Constituency. For representative purposes only.

Voters in 2016 (excluding postal votes)

  • Total number of voters in 2016: 228596
  • Male voters: 118658
  • Female voters: 109935
  • Third gender: 3

Polling percentage: 63.93%

Incumbent MLA

  • Name: Alexander V
  • Party: AIADMK
  • Age: 44
  • Address: No-20/79, Jeevan Bheema Nagar, Anna Nagar West Chennai-101
  • Name Enrolled as Voter in: Ambathur (Tamil Nadu) constituency, at Serial no. 0 in Part no. 270
  • Contact Number: 98410 33211
  • Self Profession: Cable TV owner

Source: myneta.info

Criminal cases: Nil

Alexander V. (AIADMK) won by a margin of  17,498 votes in the 2016 State Assembly Elections.

CANDIDATEPARTYVOTESSTATUS
Alexander V.AIADMK94,375Won
Aassan MaulaanaINC76,877Lost
Sekar K.N.PMK16,635Lost
Constandine Ravindran JDMDK16,631Lost
DevarajanBJP9,563Lost
Anbuthannesaran R.NTK5,044Lost
Simran KalatiYSP553Lost

Source: Chennai Election Results 2016

Promises made

Before the 2016 elections, MLA Alexander had promised to execute and implement the underground drainage and water supply schemes which have been pending for over more than a decade. His promises also included converting open flood water canals to a proper stormwater drain network.


Also read: All that’s wrong in the roadmap to revive Korattur lake


In the news

Last June, 10 water bodies in and around Ambattur were taken up for restoration. Some of the lakes identified for rejuvenation include the water bodies in Oragadam, Pattaravakkam, Pari Nagar, Karukku, Menambedu and Thathankuppam. MLA Alexander had commented that many such water bodies remained neglected for more than 30 years. He also added that work is underway to restore key water bodies in Ambattur and Korattur. 


Also read: The slow killing of Korattur Lake: Can it be reversed?


The State Public Works Department (PWD) initiated monsoon preparation works in October 2020 that included desilting and cleaning of water channels in the Kosasthalaiyar basin carrying rainwater to the water bodies in Korattur, Ambattur and Madhavaram. The MLA conducted an inspection and urged the officials to complete the work before the arrival of northeast monsoon.

Candidate list and details

S. NoNamePartySymbolAgeOccupationCriminal cases
1Joseph SamuelDravida Munnetra KazhagamRising sun58BusinessNil
2V AlexanderAll India Anna Dravida Munnetra KazhagamTwo leaves49AgricultureNil
3R RadhaNationalist Congress PartyNA52Textile businessNil
4S VaitheswaranMakkal Needhi MaiamTorchlight56Bank valuerNil
5T Muniandi IndependentNA65Auto driverNil
6C RaghulIndependentNA29Private company employeeNil
7G Soma SundaramIndependentNA39Self
Advocate
Nil
8A S KesavanIndependentNA53NANil
9RaviIndependentNA43Self-salariedNil
10S VeenaAnaithu Makkal Arasiyal KatchiNA53NANil
11BharadanIndependent NA33Self
Advocate
Nil
12T Joseph Samuvel SanthaKumarIndependentNA39Marine engineerNil
13G SrinivasanIndependentNA45Self
Advocate
Nil
14S PraveenIndependentNA32BusinessNil
15A R MurugavelIndependentNA50Acupuncture doctorNil
16K BharathiIndependentNA40LawyerNil
17N GanesanIndependentNA49BusinessNil
18S Vedhachalam Amma Makkal Munnettra KazagamNA67NANil
19M S ArumugamIndependentNA55Daily wage labourerNil
20R Anbu ThenarasanNaam Tamilar KatchiNA57NATwo cases — for participating in two protests — IPL and Eight-lane Salem-Chennai green corridor.
21Narmada Nandhakumar IndependentNA43Snacks and tea businessNil
22G VijayakumarIndependentNA63Construction workerNil
P DhanrajIndependentNA66BusinessNil

Detailed affidavits for candidates can be downloaded here.

Broad issues of the constituency

Restoring Korattur lake is important to avert another water crisis in Chennai. A picture of Korattur lake taken during the summer of 2019. Pic: Laasya Shekhar
  • Widening of the rail overbridge at Ambattur Old Town is long overdue. Its absence is causing traffic blocks at this important junction. A multi-departmental project involving state highways, GCC and Southern Railways, it has been in the works for more than ten years now. 
  • Many elected representatives made promises of upgrading Ambattur Railway station to a terminus. But forget the terminus, many express trains do not even stop at this station that is used by thousands of employees from far-off Arakkonam and Vellore. 
  • Absence of a vehicular subway at the Ambattur railway station results in passengers dangerously crossing the tracks. 
  • Besides the Primary Health Care Centre (PHC) Padi that is equipped to treat inpatients (only maternity cases), the other five of them are only for outpatients. A 200-bed hospital in the zone has been an ask for quite some time.
  • Two years ago, five corporation schools in Ambattur were upgraded to high schools. But the infrastructure remains inadequate, as there are not enough laboratories. Besides that, there is no higher secondary school for boys in Ambattur. While girls go to Kamarajar Higher Secondary School which is located within the neighbourhood, the boys have to travel all the way to Villivakkam to attend class 11 and 12.
  • When the National Green Tribunal (NGT) inspected the Korattur Lake in the constituency, it was found that the topsoil of the water body was contaminated by dangerous heavy metals such as chromium, zinc, copper, etc., due to the illegal discharge of effluents from industries in Ambattur. 
  • The CTH road widening project, which was announced by the then late Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa, still has not been implemented. “It is leading to road accidents. As there is no tertiary care hospital within the constituency, people have to rush to either Government Kilpauk Hospital or the one in Thiruvallur district,” says S Sekaran, a civic activist from Korattur.
  • Residents of this constituency have been buying drinking water for the past three decades as the sewage gets mixed with the rain water in stormwater drains. 

Also read:

Comments:

  1. Syed Azmatullah says:

    I am a resident of Moogambigai Nagar Kallikuppam. There are no govt. high school, hospital, post-office, police station etc. surrounding our area. Even bus transport is not adequate; only mini buses are plying via Moogambigai Nagar towards Villivakkam. Drainage facility is not provided.

  2. Deepakbabu tr says:

    OT railway bridge widening, CTH road widening, Improving industrial estate infrastructure, sewage improvements are long pending. None of the party’s campaign address these issues and neither DMk nor ADMK did anything big for this constituency.

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