On September 22, 2026, residents of Pioneer Kumarasamy Nagar Extension, Ward 41, opposite Veinthankulam new bus stand, petitioned Tirunelveli Corporation for a drinking-water tax waiver. About 100 houses have lacked supply for four months despite complaints to Melapalayam Zone officials, Mayor G. Ramakrishnan, Deputy Mayor K.R. Raju, Commissioner Monika Rana, councillor Sangeetha and others. Residents alleged neighbouring Ward 42 receives surplus water and threatened a “no cooperation movement” if supply is not restored. They sought reimbursement with interest and said they would resist action over unpaid tax. Majestic Apartment, also in Ward 41, has had no supply for five years despite regular tax payments; it houses 40 families. Association president P. Annasamy submitted a petition to Rana seeking exemption.

TVK cadre petitioned for roads damaged by underground drainage work to be relaid along Cross Streets 8–11, Mangammal Salai, KTC Nagar, before the rainy season. Maruti Nagar residents near V.O.C. Ground, Ward 32, alleged sewage was mixing with drinking water and sought safe supply and an official visit. SDPI sought removal of stray dogs from Ward 20, Pettai, under Tirunelveli Zone.

• Vazhavallan in Eral taluk, known for banana cultivation, and nearby Korkai, Ariyapuram, Arumugamangalam, Maramangalam and Agaram face severe water shortages after a failed southwest monsoon and El Niño. Agriculture has been hit despite Agaram, Vazhavallan and Korkai being near the Tamirabarani river. Thoothukudi and Tirunelveli Collectors are urged to address shortages affecting residents and farmers and provide timely financial assistance. Tamil Nadu is asked to adopt green strategies to protect water resources across Thoothukudi, Tirunelveli and Kanniyakumari districts.
• Nearly two years after a one-way, narrow rail overbridge opened between southern Palayamkottai, Maharaja Nagar and the north, the promised underpass has not begun. Two-wheelers can cross the railway gate after public protests; residents seek four-wheeler access until work starts. The IOB Colony underpass is little used because of its zigzag design and frequent waterlogging, and residents worry about its depth. A Y-shaped ROB at Kulavaigarpuram also remains unstarted.
• Kanniyakumari district has about 59 km of Arabian Sea coastline and 11 km along the Bay of Bengal. To relieve overcrowding at Kanniyakumari, residents seek public transport, toilets and garbage bins at Vattakottai, Muttom, Lemur Beach, Sanguthurai, Sothavilai and Manakudi estuary.

Roads dug for underground drainage work in Tirunelveli have not been repaired, putting motorists, especially two-wheeler riders, women and senior citizens, at risk. Roads connecting Palayamkottai Police Station and St. John’s College, and Samathanapuram Junction and North High Ground Road via the college, serve thousands of students and hundreds of vehicles daily. The latter was laid a few months ago but is in poor condition. A manhole near Clarinda’s Church is overflowing, and sewerage has been channelled across a damaged road.

A 2-km stretch between the traffic island near Anna University’s Regional Office and Reddiyarpatti remains damaged after drainage work was completed. A speeding mineral-laden lorry fatally struck a motorcyclist there at night while avoiding damaged areas near manholes; streetlights are not working. RTO Office Road, Jeba Garden Road and STC College Road are also unmotorable. Roads in Melapalayam, Thatchanallur and Tirunelveli zones face similar problems.

Mayor G. Ramakrishnan said drainage work was 60% complete in Melapalayam and Palayamkottai zones and over 80% complete in Tirunelveli and Thatchanallur zones. Road repairs and relaying are planned in phases.

Tamil Nadu’s Interim Budget 2026, presented on February 17, did not announce a revival plan for the Nanguneri Multi-product SEZ, whose revival had been sought for 25 years. The SEZ has 13 small manufacturing units employing a few hundred workers, against an original target of 100,000 jobs. A major portion of its 2,600 acres has been mortgaged by the project promoter to raise loans for other purposes, and the complex lacks investor-friendly infrastructure. The State has not retrieved the land.

The budget promises mini IT parks in Tirunelveli and Kanniyakumari. Gangaikondan’s IT SEZ, established 20 years ago, is still waiting for companies to open offices. The budget also proposes an employability-skills Centre of Excellence at Government Engineering College, Palayamkottai; a sewage treatment plant to prevent wastewater discharge into the Tamirabharani from Tirunelveli Corporation areas; and a 1,000 MW pumped-storage hydroelectric project at Vellimalai in the Western Ghats, Kanniyakumari district.

Small and marginal industries in Tirunelveli district say property-tax increases of 600% to 800% are threatening their businesses and rural jobs. Limestone mining and powder manufacturing are major employers in Manur taluk, which has rich limestone deposits.

A Manur factory’s annual tax rose from ₹12,000 to ₹1.02 lakh. Of about 60 limestone and plastic units under Sethurayanpudhur and Madhavakurichi village panchayats, around 10 have closed after the increases.

Sanjay Gunasingh, secretary of the Tirunelveli District Small and Tiny Industries Association, said the tax on his engineering-goods unit under Nochikulam village panchayat near Palayamkottai rose from ₹50,000 to ₹6 lakh annually. He said affected owners could pay reasonable increases but had not been consulted.

District Collector R. Sukumar said he would take the grievance to senior officials in Chennai and consider remedial measures if affected units submitted a comprehensive memorandum.