A decades-old arch on Vellore-Katpadi Main Road greets visitors to Gudiyatham, one of oldest towns in Vellore district. The arch commemorates the town’s existence as a municipality since 1866.
It also separates the busy town from its neighbouring Pallikonda, a border town on the Bengaluru Highway (NH48) in the district. In context with the upcoming urban local bodies election, the arch also represents the collective demand of residents, who are mostly weavers and farmers, to construct a bypass road that will help decongest the existing Santhapet Main Road by diverting heavy vehicles away from the town thoroughfares.
“As per plan, the proposed 2-km bypass road will begins near the arch and end near the Kamaraj bridge on the outskirts of the town, preventing heavy vehicles from entering the town. We are eager for the project to begin,” said G.S. Arasu, 48, a long-time resident. At Netaji Chowk, R.N. Khaja, a mobile phone shopkeeper, echoes the sentiment to decongest roads in the old town and reduce noise and air pollution.
