The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Roadblock to highlight sand lorry trouble

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Wednesday, Mar 02, 2011
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Roadblock to highlight sand lorry trouble

Staff Reporter

Traffic halted for two hours on the busy Karur-Tiruchi highway

KARUR: Irate public of Veerarakkiam in Karur district resorted to a road roko blocking traffic for close to two hours on Monday on the busy Karur-Tiruchi highway demanding an end to the trouble being caused to the people by the reckless sand laden lorries that ply the route.

It all started when a sand laden lorry plunged into a roadside house and in the process critically injuring a woman and damaging two two-wheelers parked outside the house at Veerarakkiam, about 15 km from here.

The unidentified driver made good his escape after abandoning the vehicle involved in the accident.

Reckless driving

Public of the locality, who have been suffering immensely at the hands of reckless sand lorries for several years now, were taken aback by the accident.

Even as the injured woman who was lucky to survive was shifted to a hospital, agitated public spontaneously gathered in the area and blocked traffic on the busy stretch.

A couple of hundreds squatted on the road and blocked traffic on the Monday morning putting to trouble office-goers and others who were travelling by buses and cars.

Several vehicles got piled up on the Karur-Tiruchi stretch on either side of the blockade prompting the police and the Revenue officials to rush there.

District Revenue Officer T. Pitchaiah, Superintendent of Police Mohan, Additional SP R. Muthusamy and other officers held talks with the perked up public.

TASMAC retail shop

The agitators demanded among other things shifting of the TASMAC retail shop on the roadside in the region, putting up a speed breaker in the stretch and an end to sand lorry operation through the stretch.

Senior police officials tried to pacify the restive crowd but to no avail.

Left with few options they threatened to cane charge the protestors and that had a telling effect on the public who decided to shift the focus to the district administration besides promising to record their reply in the coming Assembly elections.

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