Key stretches in Gudiyatham town near Vellore have got large nylon net ‘pandals’ along entire carriageway to provide much needed shade for road users, mainly walkers, to go to public utilities like government hospitals, markets, bus terminus and banks and protect themselves from scorching heat.
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Arid towns like Vellore, Gudiyatham, Pernambut, Sholinghur, Ambur and Walajah have been experiencing daily temperatures of around 40 degree celcius since early April. Most of these towns are along the Palar river, which is completely dry.
Extreme heat has also turned many small waterbodies like ponds and streams bone-dry in these areas. “We never witnessed such extreme heat for the past few years. Heat waves have become common during summer now,” said V.G. Soundararajan, a tailor.
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Like Mr. Soundararajan, other traders, who are mainly garments sellers, came up with idea of erecting large nylon net pandals above carriageway of key stretches like Government Taluk Hospital (GH) Road, Bazaar Street, Gudiyatham Main Road, Anna Street and GPM Street.
These stretches witness more walkers, mainly senior citizens and women, who visit hospitals, banks and markets. “In GH Road alone, over 200 shops are located with no roadside trees. We find it very difficult to walk on hot stretches to buy essentials. The new arrangement is a welcome measure” said K. Mahalakshmi, a resident.
With support from Gudiyatham municipality and local police, traders decided to put up nylon net shades on busy stretches. Electric and other utility cables were tightened to poles along these stretches to prevent them from getting snapped.
A group of tailors led by Mr. Soundararajan was roped in to measure length and width of the stretches. Each stretch, on an average, is 20 ft wide and 300 ft long. “ We saw some of the key stretches were spotted with nylon net shades above the carriageway. We ensure that such erections do not obstruct free flow of traffic and people. It should also not disturb the existing power line,” said M. Mangayarkkarasan, Commissioner, Gudiyatham municipality.
Traders mobilised funds. More than 200 metres of nylon net cloth was brought for the purpose. A small group of tailors stitched as per the requirement for each stretch. Once made, nylon net ‘pandals’ were tied to a height of 15 feet from road level to allow easy movement of vehicles on the stretches. Damaged nylon net ‘pandals’ would be replaced with new ones. They would be removed once summer months end, traders said.