ERODE: March 1 will be etched as an unforgettable date in the lives of 34 tribal students from Erode district. Firstly, they got an opportunity to travel in a flight for the first time in their lives. Secondly, they could meet chief minister M K Stalin in Chennai, greet him on his 72nd birthday and request him to allot a bus to their tribal villages.
More than 200 tribal people live in Thottakombai and Karumparai villages near Gobichettipalayam in Erode district. Thirty-four children from these villages are enrolled in classes I to V in a govt school in Karumparai.
Villagers have to trek seven km through forest to reach the nearest town, Kallipatty. “We go to Kallipatty to buy groceries and vegetables,” said villager G Narayanan.
On learning about the villagers’ plight, D N Palayam union DMK secretary Sivabalan decided to bring it to the CM’s attention. He arranged flight tickets for all 34 students and six teachers to present a petition to the CM on his birthday.
On Saturday morning, the students travelled by train from Gobichettipalayam to Coimbatore, from where they flew to Chennai.
Sivabalan accompanied the students and the teachers to DMK headquarters Arivalayam in Chennai for their meeting with Stalin. “The students wished him a happy birthday,” Sivabalan said. Stalin instructed officials to look into the students’ request for a bus to their villages.
After the meeting with the CM, the children visited some attractions in Chennai. They would return to Erode by train on Saturday night.