An Air Of Curiosity In Bypoll-Bound Tiruvarur

Parties begin groundwork even as uncertainty looms large over the election

- C. Jaisankar

In the wake of the Election Commission seeking to de­termine whether the situa­tion is suitable for holding a by poll in Tiruvarur at a time when cyclone relief work is still underway, an air of curiosity has gripped sections of the electorate in the constituency, which is scheduled to go to the polls on January 28.

A visit to Tiruvarur on Sunday revealed that relief assistance was yet to reach at least a third of the popu­ lation. Collector L. Nirmal Raj, who is also the District Electoral Officer, conrmed that relief work was still un­ der way. The recent strike by Village Administrative Ocers had delayed the distribution of relief assis­ tance. Officials of various departments had been tasked with distributing re­ lief to the remaining 35­ 40% of those aected.

A senior Tangedco o­ cial said that power supply had been restored to all 574 villages, but the restoration of supply to agricultural connections and replace­ ment of Low Tension Lines were in progress. As many as 3,239 people were en­ gaged in carrying out the remaining work.