Thousand Lights is a highly urbanised constituency. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin had contested several times from here. Having completed five years as MLA, how do you assess your tenure?

Thousand Lights is a historical constituency. Arignar Anna [C.N. Annadurai] lived here. The first mid-day meal scheme by Sir Pitti Theagarayar began at a school here. Justice Party leader A.T. Panneerselvam and Muthamizh Arignar Kalaignar [M. Karunanidhi] lived in this Assembly segment. In 2021, the Chief Minister gave me his constituency to provide an opportunity for professionals and social activists. In the first few months, I conducted inspections across departments such as Electricity, Metro Water and Sewage, Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC), and the Habitat Board [TNUHDB].

Thousand Lights is also a low-lying area. When I presented flood mitigation issues before the Thiruppugazh Committee, it was pointed out that stormwater drains and sewage lines were being used interchangeably, leading to overflow during rains. To address this, we created 30 km of stormwater drains and cleared the Mambalam and Puliyur canals. Embankments were strengthened and sewage inlets plugged to ensure free flow of water. We took up sewer line expansion. During the 2015 Chennai floods, 42 locations faced waterlogging. This was reduced to 16, and now limited to just two places.

Thousand Lights has several important educational institutions and hospitals. With new public health infrastructure added in the past five years, how important is it to build such a holistic model?

I focused on developing four ecosystems: health, education, infrastructure and sports for youngsters. Our Primary Health Centres (PHCs) had excellent facilities, but people preferred going to government medical colleges even for basic needs. So, I revamped the PHCs. One centre is now dedicated to master health check-ups with full diagnostic facilities. Pregnant women from across the GCC come there. We have also set up a TB centre for microscopic analysis and introduced model PHCs and evening clinics.

I addressed the shortage of doctors by taking it up with the government and the Chief Minister. Being a doctor helped me build this health ecosystem. My role in the State Planning Commission also gave me the opportunity to coordinate across departments.

Residents in Thousand Lights flag three key issues: parking constraints, persistent sewer problems, and access to public spaces…

Parking is largely a Chennai-wide problem. Here, I formed a working group with Chennai Unified Metropolitan Transport Authority (CUMTA) to address last-mile connectivity. In Phase-II, we are planning to identify unutilised GCC spaces and organise parking bases with security, cameras and monitoring systems. On sewer issues, during the last five years, revamping has been completed in 110 streets. Another 100 streets will be taken up in the next phase. Sewage is now pumped to a central facility having biofilters and treated near the Nungambakkam burial ground before being discharged into the Cooum.

Across Chennai, pedestrians continue to face poor walkways and encroachments, which discourages walking. At the same time, how can pedestrian plazas like those in Pondy Bazaar or Khader Nawaz Khan Road be designed without causing spill over issues such as parking pressure in nearby residential areas?

Take Avvai Shanmugam Salai where several schools are located. In the mornings, there used to be a lot of commotion with school vans being parked everywhere on the road. I asked the children to be dropped and be made to walk to school. We also widened the pedestrian walkway. But, vans began parking on the walkway itself. The police carried out evacuation drives and we regulated it. Now, the habit change is slowly taking shape.

On pedestrian plazas, bunk shops started coming up after we created the spaces. So, I worked with the Corporation to introduce a proper licensing mechanism and marked out vending spaces. When the Street Vendors Act is implemented properly, it would ensure that their livelihoods are not affected as well. Also, for marked spaces, we must be persistent with evacuation drives. In places such as Khader Nawaz Khan Road, we held public consultations. Some residents have concerns, and options including FSI exemptions are being explored. It is a delicate balance that we are trying to establish.

How do you see the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam’s (TVK) entry into shaping the 2026 elections?

It is better to assess this with a yardstick. Have they contested local body polls, a bye-election or even the recent Parliamentary election? At present, it is largely perception-based. Around 13% to 14% of voters in Tamil Nadu have consistently supported alternatives to the two Dravidian parties. That is not new. Any popular personality entering politics will attract limelight. But only a structured party combined with popularity can reach success.

According to a survey, about 8% to 10% of votes come to a party in Tamil Nadu based on leadership appeal, beyond party vote banks. Vijay is popular, but he does not have a party structure yet. When Vijayakant launched the DMDK, he had already built organisational experience through his work for the welfare of South Indian Film Artistes Association. That structure was visible.