Residents of 18 villages surrounding the Girivalam path near Arunachaleswarar temple protested against the merger with Tiruvannamalai Corporation at the Office of Collectorate in town on Tuesday. Agitated residents said that the merger deprived residents in these affected villages, especially women, of getting work under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) scheme for the past several months. “The merger of villages with the Corporation has also increased taxes on basic amenities like water supply, garbage removal, and houses. Despite their closeness to the temple town, affected villages depend on agriculture and related activities. Corporation officials said that around 20 surrounding villages were merged with the civic body to upgrade itself into a corporation from the erstwhile municipality status.