The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Absence of approach roads along NH troubles Perundurai residents

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Monday, Sep 07, 2009
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Tamil Nadu

Absence of approach roads along NH troubles Perundurai residents

Karthik Madhavan

The setting up of toll plaza has increased their woes

. — PHOTO: M. GOVARTHAN

Blame game: Absence of approach roads to villages from the newly-laid National Highways is troubling residents, who say their woes have been compounded with the setting up of the toll plaza

PERUNDURAI: Residents of villages along the newly -laid National Highways in and around Perundurai are troubled with the toll plaza, set up recently. Their problem actually has very little to do with the plaza, but its impact on them in the absence of service lanes and approach roads.

Take for example the case of those who need to reach Kambuliampatty village from Coimbatore. They will have to cross the toll gate by paying Rs. 33 if they are in a car, Rs. 58 for van, Rs. 117 for a bus or Rs. 187 for other heavy vehicles to reach the village, which is just west of Perundurai SIPCOT industrial estate.

No Service Road

Similarly, residents of Krishnapuram to reach Vijayamangalam will have to cross the toll plaza, for there is no service road. Same is true for those who want to reach Tirupur, Uttukuli and other areas on the side.

Costly affair

For Uttukuli, Nadupatti residents and students of two engineering colleges in the area, reaching Coimbatore is a costly affair.

They will have to cross the NH through an underpass, travel on katcha road with undulations, reach the National Highways take a ‘U’ turn, pay toll at the plaza and then proceed to Coimbatore.

The story is worse for people travelling from Erode to Tirupur or places beyond. They reach Perundurai, SIPCOT industrial estate and from there join the NH, on which they will travel only for about 200 metres before taking a dusty mud road to reach Tirupur.

Contractor blamed

In effect for a 200-odd metre travel on the NH the road users will have to shell out money, which they say is unjustified because the contractor has not laid service lanes or approach roads.

Perundurai panchayat union Chairman R. Thirunavukkarasu says the National Highways Authority of India must instruct the contractor concerned to lay all the service lanes and approach road. The story does not end here, though.

People wanting to reach SIPCOT industrial estate here from Salem have no way. They will have to cross the road to take a mud road on the right side, drive on the wrong side of the mud tract for a long while, cross the underpass that is just near SIPCOT to reach their destination.

This is because there is no service road.

Mr. Thirunavukkarasu asks why is that the contractor has not laid any service lane and the National Highways Authority of India not supervised it.

This has increased accidents he says and points to a spot near the SIPCOT industrial estate entrance where two motorcyclists were killed in an accident a week ago.

Efforts to reach NHAI officials proved futile.

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