AIADMK MLAs K.A. Sengottaiyan and K.C. Karuppanan, from Gobichettipalayam and Bhavani constituencies respectively, have opposed the establishment of toll plaza at Palampalayam village on Erode – Gobichettipalayam Road and submitted a petition to Collector Raja Gopal Sunkara at Erode on Friday, October 13, 2023.
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Under the Second Tamil Nadu Road Sector Project (TNRSP-II), the National Highways wing of the State Highways Department has taken up improvement and strengthening of existing Erode – Gobichettipalayam SH-15 from two-lane to four-lane.
A toll plaza would come up at the village, located between Kavundapadi and Gobichettipalayam, and farmers, traders, vehicle users and the public strongly opposed it and staged a protest recently.
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The two former Ministers, along with former MLA K.V. Ramalingam and functionaries, met the Collector and submitted a petition.
Addressing the media, Gobichettipalayam MLA Mr. Sengottaiyan said road widening work was in progress and a board has been placed at Palampalayam village that a toll plaza would come up there.
“The road is used mostly by farmers and a toll plaza would affect them largely,” he added. He said the project was brought by the AIADMK government only to convert the road as four-lane. “Before establishing the toll plaza, the opinion of local people and political parties should have been obtained,” he added.
Mr. Sengottaiyan said funds were allotted during the AIADMK government for converting Bhavani – Mettur Road as four-lane. “But the road was widened only for three metres and not as four-lane leading to traffic congestion,” he said and wanted the project to be executed as planned earlier.
He added that wild boars cause extensive crop damage and wanted wild boars to be declared as vermin as in Kerala.