The central region, comprising nine districts, including the Cauvery delta region, has got three Ministerial berths in the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam government.

While the TVK MLA from Kumbakonam, Vinoth Ravi, has been made the Agriculture Minister, Srirangam MLA S. Ramesh has been made the Minister for Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments. The party’s Aranthangi MLA J. Mohamed Farvas finds a place in the Cabinet with the Labour Welfare and Skill Development portfolio. The region would get one more Minister as the Indian Union Muslim League’s Papanasam MLA A.M. Shajahan is set to join the Cabinet soon.

The central region had a strong representation in the previous Cabinet with seven Ministers in the previous DMK regime as the Secular Progressive Alliance had won 37 of the 41 seats in the region in the 2021 elections.

Although the regional representation in the Cabinet has come down now, the appointment of a native of Cauvery delta region as the Agriculture Minister has gone down well with the farmers.

“It is welcome that a person from Cauvery delta region has been made the Agriculture Minister after R. Vaithilingam and R. Doraikkannu (as AIADMK Ministers),” said P.R. Pandian, president, Coordination Committee of All Farmers Associations of Tamil Nadu.

Stepping up agriculture productivity and sorting out issues in paddy procurement should be his priority areas. More importantly, he should strengthen interaction between the Agriculture Department officials and farmers as there had been a disconnect in recent years, Mr. Pandian said.

Welcoming the appointment of the son-of-the-soil as Agriculture Minister, Swamimalai Vimalnathan, secretary, Tamil Nadu Cauvery Farmers Protection Association, said that “a suitable post has been given to a (person from) suitable district.”

“As farmers we welcome the appointment. We hope he will discharge his duties with responsibility and are willing to support him with our inputs” he added.

Hopes rise

The appointment of the Mr. Ramesh as the HR&CE Minister has raised hopes of an amicable settlement to the property ownership dispute between the Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple administration and a section of residents in Srirangam.

The dispute has been a major concern for several residents in Srirangam since 2004 as the temple authorities claimed ownership rights over 329 acres around the temple as per an old Title Deed 1027. A section of residents has moved the Supreme Court over the issue.

“The appointment of young and energetic Mr. Ramesh as HR&C Minister has definitely raised hopes of an amicable settlement to the issue. That apart, in recent years Srirangam has been neglected in terms of infrastructure development in recent years and we hope he will be able to address our concerns,” said Suresh Venkatachalam, president, Srirangam Nagara Nala Sangam.

“We have already explained the property dispute to him and he has responded positively. We are planning to organise an interaction between the residents and the Minister soon,” he added.

A similar dispute has cropped up between a group of residents of Tiruvanaikovil and Sri Jambukeswarar Akilandeswari Temple authorities in recent years. And residents of Tiruvanaikovil, which comes under the Srirangam constituency, too hope that he would be able to find a solution soon. “We have already briefed him about our problem, which is different from the Srirangam issue. He has asked us to bring the documents and promised steps to resolve the issue. Now that he has been made the HR&CE Minister, this is an excellent opportunity to get the issue resolved,” said M. Mari alias Padmanabhan of Tiruvanaikovil.

The appointment of Mr.Farvaz from the remote Aranthangi constituency too has been largely welcomed in Pudukottai district.