A new traffic police station is to come up at Manapparai to address the heavy volume of traffic passing through the town and prevent increasing instances of fatal accidents in and around the area.
The number of traffic police stations within Tiruchi rural police limits will increase to four once the new station at Manapparai starts functioning. Currently, traffic police stations are functioning at Tiruverumbur, Thuvakudi, and Samayapuram. The new station will have a team headed by a Reserve Inspector. An announcement on the formation of traffic police station has already been made and an order from the State government was expected soon, official sources said.
The official machinery here had forwarded a detailed proposal to the State government a few months ago making a case for the establishment of a traffic police station at Manapparai, a taluk headquarter and an Assembly constituency with population exceeding a lakh, alongside specifying the manpower requirement and expected recurring expenditure. A main junction for vehicles heading towards Madurai, Palani, Dindigul, and Kodaikanal, Manapparai has been witness to heavy volume of traffic – both passenger and goods – over the years through both State and national highways. The high volume of traffic has led to increase in accidents at Manapparai, one of the five police sub divisions in the district.
Police sources said the need for setting up a separate traffic police station was felt to prevent increasing fatal accidents at Manapparai, for better regulation of traffic to avoid congestion, and for effective enforcement of road rules.
The sources said the number of those killed in road accidents at Manapparai and its vicinity alone was 30 in 2009, 37 in 2010, and 15 in 2011.
