Residents of Podugampatti near Parali Pudur village resorted to a road blockade on Thursday for about an hour following which vehicular movement was affected on the newly laid four-way lane by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) along the Natham-Thuvarankurichi stretch.
The agitators including, women and elders, demanded proper road to and from their habitation - Podugampatti - to the four-way lane as the surface level had reduced by about 15 feet from the previous road level, they claimed.
With vast area under mango cultivation, there is heavy movement of trucks carrying the fruits round the clock. Due to the ‘unfinished road work’ and the poor condition of the road, the villagers and motorists were at great risk.
When the NHAI had laid the state-of-the-art road, which was dedicated to the nation by none other than the Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently, the authorities should ensure that the approach roads in the neighbourhood, wherein hundreds of families resided should also be motorable and safe, they added.
Hence, they squatted near the yet to be operational user fee toll booth on the Natham highway and blocked the vehicular movement on both sides demanding fulfilment of basic amenities as well.
As the news spread, revenue, NHAI and police officials from Dindigul district rushed to the spot and held discussions with the representatives. As the talks were inconclusive, the police arrested the agitators and cleared the road for vehicle movement.
Later, on an assurance that the road would be laid properly before August-end with lighting and water facilities too, the agitators gave up the stir. Chitra Ganapathi Managing Partner of Kadambavanam, a cultural centre in Vem Parali said that she had submitted a memorandum to the NHAI authorities to expedite the road work leading to Podugampatti village. In the petition, she had stated that visitors coming from far and near to Kadambavanam have tough time reaching the venue since the four-way lane work started a few years ago. Now that the works are over, the road users in the vicinity expected the authorities to complete the work without delay, she added.
