Riled up by the road safety threats posed by the trucks and lorries laden with sand plying every day to a nearby private quarry, residents, farmers, traders and students staged a roadblock on Arakkonam-Sholingur Main Road in Mulvoy village on Sunday.
The road stretch that connects over 20 villages from the Ranipet-Tiruvallur district border to Arakkonam town has been ridden with potholes due to the heavy vehicles plying to and fro every day, the residents rued. Lorries laden with sand from the quarry are dependant on the road to reach towns, including Arakkonam, Sholinghur, Arcot and Walajah.
During rain, the plight worsens as motorists heading towards Arakkonam town have to navigate through the damaged road that has turned slushy. The residents said even ambulances are reluctant to ply through the road to reach their village.
“Several complaints were raised at the weekly grievance meeting. However, no action has been taken to regulate the timing of the operation of the quarry and lorries that transport sand from it,” said K. Muniyappan, a farmer.
School students are particularly affected by the poor condition of the road as most of them rely on it to reach Arakkonam town. The village has government schools up to Class V only. Similarly, the road is used by residents to reach the nearest government health facility, which is the Primary Healthcare Centre (PHC) located in the town. Bus service on the road also has taken a toll due to its dilapidated condition, said the protesting residents.
On information, Arakkonam Taluk police and revenue officials arrived at the protest spot and pacified the residents after holding talks. The authorities assured to take the steps required to re-lay the stretch and regulate the operation of the sand lorries.
Students of the Government Primary School in Mulvoy village were also part of the protest.
