Delay in re-laying Thamaraikarai – Madam road in Bargur hills irks people

People in 10 hamlets in Erode’s Bargur hills face difficulty in transporting patients during emergencies due to inordinate delay in re-laying damaged road.

Inordinate delay in re-laying the much-damaged road from Thamaraikarai to Madam in Bargur hills remains a concern for the people of 10 hamlets as transporting patients during emergencies is a Herculean task.

People in the hamlets of Eratti, Kadaieratti, Onthanai, Minthangi, Devarmalai, Elachipalayam, Ekkattampalayam, Vellimalai, Bejalatti, Kalvarai, Anaipodu and Madam use the road to reach Thamaraikarai and proceed towards Bargur or Anthiyur.

With only two bus services available every day in the stretch, most of the people who travel for work and students depend on two-wheelers for commuting. Of the total 15 k.m. stretch, six km of road passes through the forest area that is non-motorable.

P. Veerabadran of Devarmalai, who travels everyday in the stretch for work, said incessant rain, movement of heavy vehicles carrying granites and failure to carry out repair works in the forest road for many years has made their life miserable. “Gravel protrude and two-wheelers find it difficult to cross the pothole-ridden spots,” he said and added that transporting patients and pregnant women during emergencies remain a challenging task.

Likewise, the construction of two high-level bridges across streams at Eratti and Devarmalai, which began over two years ago, is yet to be completed as works were stopped one years ago. The hill area receives rain for over four months a year and water in the stream prevents movement of vehicles in the stretch, said a teacher.

When contacted, Anthiyur MLA A.G. Venkatachalam told The Hindu that proposal for re-laying the road in the stretch was submitted to the government already and approval is awaited.