Little did the residents of 12 farming villages near Tiruvannamalai town know that a scheduled visit by Chief Minister M.K. Stalin to Malappambadi village on October 22 would decide the destiny of the poorly maintained Kunniyandal Main Road. Ahead of the Chief Minister’s visit, the State Highways took up work to widen and re-lay the road near Tiruvannamalai town after a gap of several years.
Various stakeholders, including the Department of Highways which maintains the nine-km long muddy stretch as Other District Road (ODR), were informed a month ago about Mr. Stalin’s scheduled visit to Malappambadi village to attend a workshop organised by the DMK for Booth Committee Agents (BLA) from eight northern districts.
Following this, the State Highways, under the guidance of Minister for Public Works and Highways E.V. Velu, took up work to widen and re-lay the Kunniyandal Main Road ahead of the visit by the Chief Minister. A team of surveyors took road measurements. Bushes up to a distance of 10 feet on either sides of the stretch spanning nine kilometres were removed to facilitate the road widening work and avoid any obstructions.
