Forum stages protest against bad condition of road in Rajapalayam

Members of Rajapalayam Town Social Activists Federation arrested for protesting against NHAI for not relaying 2km stretch of Tenkasi highway. Farmer N.A. Ramachandra Raja said road dug up in 2018 for UGD & drinking water pipelines, causing accidents & death. Federation petitioned NHAI, but officials certified road motorable. Police rejected fast application, arrested members. Coordinators demand road relaying, threaten fresh agitations if NHAI fails to meet demand.

Members of Rajapalayam Town Social Activists Federation were arrested when they tried to go on a fast here on Tuesday in protest against National Highways Authority of India not relaying a section of Tenkasi highway.

A farmer, N.A. Ramachandra Raja, said a two-km stretch of road between Cotton Market and Union office remains in a bad shape after it was dug up by the Rajapalayam municipal authorities for laying underground drainage and drinking water pipelines in 2018. The road has been rendered unmotorable for the last two years, said Rajapalayam Town secretary of Communist Party of India (Marxist) B. Mariappan.

“Several road users have met with accidents and a student had died due to the bad condition of road last year. Many of the victims had suffered fractures,” he said.

The federation had petitioned the NHAI officials seeking to relay the road as the UGD and drinking water pipeline laying works had been completed. However, the NHAI officials had certified that the road was in a motorable condition.

In this backdrop, the federation had announced that its members would observe a fast for 12 hours on Tuesday. However, the police rejected the application for fast on Monday night. “The police were acting against the residents who were seeking better roads,” said Mr. Ramachandra Raja.

When the members of the federation squatted for observing the fast, they were arrested.