Absence of an underpass at the Siruvachur junction on the Tiruchi - Chennai National Highway has been posing a serious threat to motorists.
Siruvachur, which is about seven km from Perambalur, is noted for a temple dedicated to Sri Mathuakali Amman.
This temple is open on Mondays and Fridays besides new moon day, full moon day and annual occasions including ‘brahmothsavam’ and ‘Navarathiri’ festivals.
Prior to the implementation of the four-laning project, Siruvachur junction was a major bus-stop for mofussil buses operating between Tiruchi and Perambalur and long-distance buses such as those going from Nagercoil to Chennai or from Chennai to Tiruvananthapuram. So, the practice of the bus crew stopping at the village right on the NH continues even today.
The junction has roads branching off on opposite directions. While a rural road to Siruvachur branches off on the western side, the road leading to Varagupadi branches off at the eastern side. A number of town buses from Varagupadi, Karai, Kolakkanatham and other villages have to cross the National Highway from the eastern side to the western side to reach Perambalur. “The problem is more pronounced, as high-speeding buses or vehicles bound for Chennai or Madurai run the risk of colliding with vehicles crossing over,” says Ranganathan, a resident of Siruvachur.
Another resident described a accident that caused extensive damage to the concrete bench at the bus shelter. “In another accident, the lamp post got twisted,” says another resident M. Balamurugan.
The residents say that absence of an under-pass in the area was the cause of the problem. The four-laning should have included an underpass as the number of college and school vehicles has increased following opening of a few educational institutions near the junction, they pointed out.
A police official said that barricades have been put up on the National Highway to ensure that the vehicles slow down while crossing the point. But residents point out, that most of the accidents occur due to over-speeding of vehicles especially in the early morning hours.
