A storm of voices rose up at the Thoothukudi Collectorate on Monday! More than 400 petitions were heard at the weekly grievance meeting held by Collector K. Elambahavath, but the spotlight shone on the Kattunayakkan community from Eral. Under the spirited leadership of Mariselvam, the Purathi Baratham party city district secretary, residents of Ganesapuram locality stepped forward with a heartfelt demand: community certificates to secure their children's education and access government welfare. "We have been living in this area for 120 years," declared the community with firm pride. But there's a bitter twist — their children cannot continue studies because they lack community certificates, which blocks government job chances too. They said straight, "We have been pushed into backwardness." The community urged the Collector to act fast and issue these certificates to open doors for education and welfare benefits. Meanwhile, tension crackled as around 20 women from Eral staged a passionate protest right outside the Collectorate. Their battle? To get back their gold jewellery pledged to a private finance company boasting interest-free gold loans. Ladies said, "Believing their promise, 82 people pledged about two and half kilograms of gold jewelry. But when we asked for it back, they refused!" Though the company’s owner was arrested after complaints flooded in, the jewellery remains missing. Even after police complaints, these women lament, "We received no proper response." Their demand is loud and clear: take strong action to recover their precious gold. This drama at the Collectorate highlights tough realities for the Kattunayakkan community — a century-old group wrestling for recognition, education, jobs, and justice for their hard-earned assets. Will their voices bring change? The Trichy administration definitely has fiery matters to solve ahead!