Tamil Nadu election 2026: Lack of civic amenities irks Thiruporur constituency residents as urbanisation takes toll

It has a sizeable coastal belt stretching over 30 km, a large expanse of reserved forest areas, a few industrial parks, several well-known higher education institutions, and a substantial stretch of agricultural land spread over two revenue blocks. Yet, nearly half of its electorate reside along a 30-km stretch of highly urbanised ‘vertical villages’. The Thiruporur Assembly constituency — situated south of Chennai on the iconic IT Corridor along the Old Mahabalipuram Road (OMR) — in Chengalpattu district, is indeed a study in dichotomy.

The expansion of Chennai’s IT Corridor over the past couple of decades has resulted in the mushrooming of large multi-storeyed apartments, extending well into the villages on either side of the road.