Kadar tribal settlement in Anamalai hills gets bitumen road after decades’ wait

Members of Nedungundram tribal settlement in the Anamalai Tiger Reserve, around 20 km off Valparai in Coimbatore district, are in a sigh of relief as they are soon going to have a bitumen road connecting the outside world that their ancestors dreamt of for decades.

Members of Nedungundram tribal settlement in the Anamalai Tiger Reserve (ATR), around 20 km off Valparai in Coimbatore district, are in a sigh of relief as they are soon going to have a bitumen road connecting the outside world that their ancestors dreamt of for decades.

The Valparai Municipality has taken up the work of tar-topping the existing 4-km mud road, namely Kuthiraivandi Saalai, which was constructed during the British colonial rule.

Valparai Municipal Chairman S. Alagusundaravalli said Nedungundram was the first tribal settlement in ATR to get a tar-topped road.

Due to lack of proper road to the settlement, Kadar tribal families of Nedungundram have been using a steep shortcut of about 1.7 km through the forest to reach Villoni, from where transportation facilities to Valparai can be accessed.

“We are told by authorities that tar road will be laid for a distance of about 3.2 km in revenue land, out of the total distance of 4 km from Villoni pirivu. The remaining 800 metres fall under the tiger reserve,” said K. Rathinasamy, head of Nedungundram settlement.

Kadar tribal leader S. Thangasamy said multiple representations were made to authorities over the years to get a bitumen road on the revenue land stretch. “We are happy that finally the road is being laid,” he said.

Due to lack of proper road, some of the tribal families from Nedungundram settlement had moved to places close to Valparai for better facilities, including the education of children, in the past.