Perambalur youth in Singapore build Rs 35 lakh worth of welfare projects in native village

Villagers had submitted petitions to authorities, to no avail. They readily credit their brethren in Singapore for getting the work done.
Perambalur youth in Singapore build Rs 35 lakh worth of welfare projects in native village

ARIYALUR: Residents of Ayinapuram now working in Singapore have funded various development works in their village. A temple has also been built at a cost of Rs 7 lakh.

They said they were fed up waiting for authorities to fix the issues, so took it upon themselves.

Over 300 families reside in the village in Alathur taluk. It used to have poor roads and erratic water and power supply for many years. There was no proper ration shop or bus shelter. Now, these are no longer issues.

Villagers had submitted petitions to authorities, to no avail. They readily credit their brethren in Singapore for getting the work done. Over 20 Ayinapuram residents are working in Singapore. Aware of the lack of facilities in their village, they came forward to lend a helping hand, with village youth making sure their funds are properly utilised. Till date, Rs 30 lakh has been spent on development works with funds provided by those in Singapore.

The first initiative was building the temple. Following this, they decided to pool in money to help meet basic needs and fix issues vexing villagers.

Subsequently, a graveyard at a cost of Rs 3.45 lakh was built. The Therani-Ayinapuram road was renovated at a cost of Rs 2 lakh. A  ration shop and bus shelter were set up at a cost of Rs 6.75 lakh.

The two-acre Vanneri lake in this village was in a state of neglect for nearly 20 years. It was renovated and canals desilted at a cost of Rs 8.25 lakh. Bunds were built and the lake bed deepened..

D Kannabiran, who works in Singapore, told TNIE over the phone, “When we came down to the village a few years ago, we met with the authorities about the needs of our village. They did not seem to care, so we decided we should act rather than wait. It makes us very happy that we can help but still more work remains.

The authorities should improve roads in some areas of our village.”

V Mani, another youth, said, “The authorities never come to our village to find out what was needed. For years, we dealt with a water shortage. Nothing was done and we had to go to other villages and bring water by bicycle. Now, the lake is clean and full.”

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