Trichy as second capital among demands to Congress manifesto panel

Trichy: Recognising Trichy as the state's second capital and reducing the concentration of power by relocating a section of govt offices and departments to Trichy was among the top demands reiterated by cadres of the Congress as well as the public during an interaction with the manifesto committee on Monday night.Anand Srinivasan, chairman of media and communication department, Tamil Nadu Congress Committee (TNCC), and Mayiladuthurai MLA S Rajakumar, who were part of the committee promised to go through the suggestions and include viable demands in the manifesto to be released soon by the party. "People expressed their interest in moving certain departments to Trichy from Chennai, so that the public from central, southern, and western districts could get their administrative needs done without travelling for long hours. The need for decentralisation was pitched," L Rex, Trichy urban Congress unit president, said. Other Trichy-specific demands include service roads for the pending stretch of Trichy-Thanjavur national highway, a 14.5km-long national highway that witnesses frequent fatal accidents without service roads. A demand was also raised to reclaim Trichy corporation's 47-acre-large dump yard in Ariyamangalam and carry out the Miyawaki method of dense forest plantation in the space. State-level demands include imposing heavy restrictions on children less than 18 years of age using social media platforms and gadgets.Congress functionaries said that a copy of the final manifesto will be shared with the DMK to implement the promises made based on public interaction.