Over 300 cadres including two Congress MLAs, DCC presidents and All India Youth Congress General Secretary Abraham Roy Mani were arrested for staging a road roko at Nithravilai junction on Saturday.
Presiding over the agitation, Killiyoor Congress MLA S. Rajesh Kumar said that the roads in his constituency such as – Kurumbanai, Nithiravilai, Balur, Thengaipattinam etc were in a bad shape.
Motorists, especially bike riders, find it difficult as deep pot holes have developed on these roads.
This resulted in frequent accidents and loss of lives and many people have become permanently disabled, Mr. Rajesh Kumar alleged.
He also charged that the tender for laying the 72 km stretch of ECR road at an estimated cost of Rs. 72 crore was finalised on February 22, 2016.
The road laying work was awarded to a Pudukottai-based contractor on Engineering Procurement and Construction (EPC) mode by the Union government but even after eight months, the work has not been taken up, he alleged.
Tired over submission of petitions to the State Highways Minister, Principal Secretary of the Highways Department, District Collector and the Divisional Engineer of the Highways, the party took the extreme step to the stage road roko agitation, he added.
The NDA government is purposefully delaying the project with the sole aim that the credit should not go to Congress, the MLA alleged.
AICC Youth Wing General Secretary Abraham Roy Mani, Colachel Congress MLA J.G. Prince, DCC (East) president Kannattuvilai V. Palaiah, DCC (West) president Asokan Solomon, former presidents of DCC R. Radhakrishnan, INTUC District president N.P. Jayakumar and others participated.
