High drama in Kanchi: Locals stage novel protest, urge authorities to lay roads
Chennai: High drama prevailed on the stretch between Urapakkam and Nallambakkam near Kattankulathur union panchayat in Kanchipuram district, as residents staged a novel protest urging authorities to lay roads on Tuesday.
According to residents, there are around 15 villages on the stretch and over 30,000 people are living these villages. However, there is no road facility for a distance covering 14 km and residents face hardship in reaching main roads, bus stands and railway stations.
Despite repeated petitions, officials turned a deaf ear without laying roads. Further, some portions of the lands in the stretch were in possession of forest department, which the residents alleged that the department was not providing space for taking up road works.
Under such circumstance, village people from Arungal and Kattur held a different kind of protests. The villagers assembled on the roads by around 9 am and shouted slogans condemning the officials’ apathy. Even some men smeared sacred ash over their bodies and even started rolling on the roads praying to God seeking road facility.
Some village people said, “there were two TNSTC buses (60k and 60D) plying on the stretch, while MTC operated two small buses two years ago. However, such services have been suspended, as there was no road.”
According to officials, rural development highway should undertake road works.
However, officials said that the forest department has two acres of land in Nallambakkam, while Arungal village has 700 meters of forest land.
“If forest officials are ready to clear the deck, we will take up road works in the stretch,” said an official, state highway. However, forest department officials said that the ball is in government’s court and it should decide about undertaking works.
