Residents, farmers, traders and and students in Nayakkanur, a remote tribal village near Tirupattur town, detained buses of the Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation (TNSTC) on Friday demanding levelling of the narrow bitumen road to prevent accidents. Residents said that the existing road that runs through Alangayam reserve forest (RF) to a distance of 2.5 km was laid more than three decades ago in 1986. The 3.75-metre-wide-stretch was relaid without milling the top bitumen layer. This has raised the existing road level to at least three feet, causing motorists especially during night to slip from the carriageway and hurt themselves.
Also, motorists were unable to use open space along the carriageway to bypass other vehicles due to the height of the road. As a result, the stretch witnesses traffic congestion, especially during rush hour. “Our children get hurt as they fall from the carriageway. Despite the wide open space, vehicles have to go on the narrow carriageway due to its mismatch in height,” said Mekalai Tirupati, president, Nayakkanur village panchayat.
Officials said that it was around 10 a.m. on Friday when the town buses reached the village, residents including students, farmers and traders blocked the Alangayam - Jamunamarathur High Road, a distance of around 30 km, on the Jawadhu Hills, demanding levelling of the carriageway. Residents wanted the authorities, both the State Highways and the Forest Department, to level the stretch at least between R.H. Pudur and Nayakkanur, a distance of around 2.5 kms in the RF.
The road is a lifeline for at least 17 tribal hamlets along Jawadhu Hills to avail basic facilities like healthcare, education, banks and agriculture. Villagers have to go to Alangayam, the nearest village that has a PHC around 10 km from these villages. For government taluk hospital, they have to travel at least 27 km to Vaniyambadi town. Students from Class XII and above have to come to Vaniyambadi for schooling. The road is the only connectivity for them. In fact, the TNSTC operates at least ten buses on the route every day. Forest officials said that as per norms, any land acquisition for public purpose in the Reserve Forest should be obtained from the Central government. Preliminary nod has been given for providing at least two metres on both sides of the stretch. However, the State government should pay a compensation of ₹47 lakh to the Forest Department to acquire the land. “The process is in the final stages. Once we get the orders of the compensation payment, the Forest Department will issue an NOC for the work,” said B. Somasundaram, Forest Range Officer (Alangayam).
