The narrow lane that branches off Mettupalayam Road towards east in Kavundampalayam seems to be a peaceful residential location. But it is not. Lorries and small goods carriers move in and out of the locality, Dayal Street, Thirunagar.
The lorries take liquor bottles to the Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation (TASMAC) warehouses there and the small goods carriers carry those bottles from the warehouses to liquor retail outlets in the district. This has been going on for at least 10 years now.
During this period, the residents have had no good road, underground and storm water drainage facilities. This is because there exists only one entry and exit to the warehouses and if the Corporation were to dig the road, the movement of vehicles will be affected and so will their business, says B. Giridharan, secretary of the Thirunagar Welfare Association.
Citing this reason, the residents have been deprived of basic amenities, says T. Rajagopal, an office-bearer of the Association.
That is not the only issue, though. Mr. Rajagopal says that the road is too narrow to hold the lorry traffic. And their movement affects the residents’ movement.
“Every half-an-hour or 45 minutes, a lorry proceeds to the warehouses and in equal measure, a mini goods carrier gets out. Their presence on the road leaves very little space for the residents’ vehicles as the road is not more than 30 feet wide.”
Mr. Giridharan adds that aside from their movement, the dust the vehicles kick up leaves the residents running for cover. He points to the compound and parked vehicles to underscore his point.
The residents say that they have written to the authorities in the Coimbatore Corporation, Coimbatore City Police, district administration, TASMAC and even the State Government but nothing came from such representations.
Mr. Giridharan says that their first petition dates back to 1997. “The residents even wrote to the Chief Minister’s Special Cell.”
To such representations, the TASMAC administration has from time to time said that the proposal to move the warehouses was under active consideration.
Sources in the TASMAC establishment in Coimbatore say that at present there was no proposal to move the warehouses. The warehouses supply liquor to more than 300 retail outlets.
Alternative path
The area representative in the Corporation Council, Ward 44 councillor ‘Venthamarai’ S. Balu says that he is exploring an alternative path for the TASMAC administration to take their vehicles out. If that materialises, the residents will have all the facilities the Corporation provides.
He adds that in all probability, the locality will have new road, drain and underground drainage in a month’s time.
