The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Coimbatore News : ‘Focus on widening Mettupalayam Road’

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Sunday, Jun 28, 2009
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Coimbatore

‘Focus on widening Mettupalayam Road’

Staff Reporter

Plea for train service to Tirupur and Pollachi to be considered: Collector
Police department proposes to buy speed radar guns: K.C. Mahali

Coimbatore: Collector P. Umanath on Thursday exhorted the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) officials to take expedite widening of Mettuppalayam Road.

Dr. Umanath’s was speaking at the District Road Safety-cum-Traffic Advisory Committee meeting at the Collectorate.

On the need for Neelambur – Mettupalayam bypass road project, Dr. Umanath asked whether the NHAI had conducted any survey on the traffic to Mettupalayam from Coimbatore and vehicles coming from other places via Coimbatore.

Survey

The NHAI officials said that a survey conducted a year ago had indicated that 80 per cent of the traffic on Mettupalayam Road was from Coimbatore while the rest 20 per cent was the traffic that was passing through Coimbatore.

In that case, Dr. Umanath said that the immediate focus should be to widenthe existing Mettupalayam Road so that pressure on this road could be reduced besides bringing down the accidents.

Secretary of Coimbatore Consumer Cause (CCC) K. Kathirmathiyon pointed out that the demand for widening Mettupalayam Road was a long pending demand.

He accused the NHAI refusing to hand over the road to the State Highways Department.

Suburban train services

To a plea for operating more suburban train services from Coimbatore to Pollachi, Palakkad, Mettupalayam and Tirupur, the Southern Railway officials said that there were proposals to extend the Thiruvananthapuram – Palakkad train up to Mettupalayam via Coimbatore besides introducing an additional service between Mettupalayam and Coimbatore.

Dr. Umanath also said that the plea for trains to Tirupur and Pollachi could also be considered.

Regional Transport Officer (North), P. Harikrishnan said that introduction of suburban train services at frequent intervals would help reduce road accidents.

City Police Commissioner K.C. Mahali said that in 2008, there were 312 accidents and 50 per cent of these accidents always claimed lives.

He also added that in addition to the 37 existing automatic traffic signals in the city, in September 2008 the police have mooted a proposal for installing 31 more traffic signals at a cost of Rs. 1.46 crore at congested and accident-prone junctions.

As part of the modernisation of the traffic wing, Mr. Mahali said that a proposal for buying speed radar guns and road marking magnetic tapes and reflective jackets at a cost of Rs. 25 lakh has also been mooted.

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