Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) of Tirupattur A. Nallathambi on Wednesday staged a road roko in protest against the delay in taking up roadwork at Pudurnadu. The Pudurnadu-Nellivasalnadu road has been badly damaged and is in need of repair.
The DMK MLA had gone to participate in a mass contact programme at Pudurnadu, a hill area, near Tirupattur. “Residents raised the issue of bad road and told us that there has been an inordinate delay in laying the 15-km stretch from Pudurnadu to Nellivasalnadu via Mallaiyandipatti. I along with the people staged a road roko at Pudurnadu demanding steps to repair and lay the road,” he said.
He said the area came under the control of the Forest Department, and hence, he had taken up the issue with the Secretary, Department of Forests, and also with the Secretary, Department of Adi Dravidar and Tribal Welfare. “I took the issue to the notice of the district forest officer and Collector but action was not taken. The road is in bad shape. This is one of the main roads in Pudurnadu that is being used by residents of 13 to 14 villages,” he said.
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He added that the people found it difficult to travel from Nellivasalnadu to the Primary Health Centre at Pudurnadu. “It is difficult for pregnant women to travel on this road. Children too have to travel on this road to reach the government high school at Pudurnadu. When it rains, it is difficult for buses to ply on this bad stretch and so services are stopped,” he added.
With several villagers dependent on agriculture in Pudurnadu, he added that they had to transport the agricultural produce through the stretch to reach Tirupattur.
As temporary arrangements, the people had been dumping sand to form a mud road to facilitate movement. The MLA withdrew his protest after the Tirupattur tahsildar assured him to bring the issue to the notice of the government.
