The road connecting Savithri Nagar with Prabhu Nagar in Ward 42 is under encroachment. In the encroached stretch the road width has reduced to a considerable extent.
The illegal occupation of the road space has been there for long and the Coimbatore Corporation has failed to initiate action to remove the encroachment and restore the road space, accuses P. Nachimuthu, Ward 42 Councillor.
It is a scheme road that is supposed to be 40-foot wide. At many stretches it is not 40-foot wide. Definitely not at the encroached stretch, where the space is reduced by more than 50 per cent.
The Corporation, which was Coimbatore Municipality in 1986, took over the space required for the road and made it a scheme road. Since then, for 25 years, the civic body has not initiated any action. It has not even cared to protect the road space, he says.
If the civic body cleared the road of encroachments, restored the road space and laid the road, it will help reduce the traffic on Chetty Street.
Easy access
K. Rajagopalan, a resident, says the restoration of the road will provide easy access to Chetty Road, as the 5,000-odd residents will be able to access it through Balaji Nagar.
The residents will also find it easy to avail of the services of small and big four-wheel goods carriers, which now find it difficult to navigate on the 20-foot road.
Mr. Nachimuthu adds that the Corporation's failure to lay the road has also impacted the underground drainage work. The contractor has been unable to proceed with the work because of the encroachment.
The second scheme road, which Mr. Nachimuthu says the Corporation has not laid, is the one that connects Aruna Nagar with West Savithri Nagar.
It is also a 40-foot wide road, which the Corporation has not cared to protect. About 15 days ago, a portion of the road has been fenced and now a few people are claiming the stretch.
“Is the Corporation so ineffective so as to protect its properties. Can it not at least place a board saying that it owns the road.”
If the Corporation were to lay the road, it will bring down the residents' dependence on Vysial Street, he points out. And, through Kembatty Colony, the residents will be able to reach Ukkadam.
The Councillor also wants the Sundakamuthur By-pass Road to be widened. As per the Master Plan it is a 70-foot wide road. In reality, though, it is only 30-foot wide.
He says it is easier to expand the road now because there are very few buildings. Most of it is open space. If the Corporation delays the expansion, it will be difficult to retrieve the land from encroachers.
The widening of the road will benefit the residents of the Housing Unit in Kallamedu and many of the new residential localities.
Mr. Nachimuthu laments that he has been urging the Corporation to initiate action to lay all the scheme roads to no avail.
Commissioner T.K. Ponnusamy says he will act on the Councillor's complaints and restore the road width.
