Kodaikanal ghat road to be widened to ease traffic, says Minister Velu

State Highways Department had taken up ground work for widening Batlagundu-Kodaikanal ghat road in order to ease vehicular traffic, said Minister for Highways E.V. Velu.

State Highways Department had taken up ground work for widening Batlagundu-Kodaikanal ghat road in order to ease vehicular traffic, said Minister for Highways E.V. Velu.

He said this after chairing a Road Safety Review Meeting, along with Ministers I. Periyasamy (Rural Development) and R. Sakkarapani (Food and Civil Supplies), Additional Chief Secretary (Highways) Pradeep Yadav and Collector M.N. Poongodi here on Tuesday.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Velu said MLA I.P. Senthil Kumar made a representation to decongest Kodaikanal road. “We are now in the process of preparing a detailed project report for widening the road and creating parking facilities for additional vehicles to ensure free flow of traffic,” Mr. Velu said.

He said the work for widening the road would start after the DPR was prepared. A pedestrian pathway with paverblocks would be created on Dindigul-Oddanchathiram-Palani Road for providing a safe passage for devotees who walked to Palani hill temple. The pedestrian pathway would be two-metre wide, he added.

The Ministers discussed various road projects, including a by-pass road for Dindigul, road overbridges, rural roads and also efforts being taken to prevent accidents.

Mr. Velu stressed the importance for planting of saplings on roadsides to prevent heatwaves and pollution. Similarly, plants in the middle would to some extent curtail the high-beam lights of vehicles coming in the opposite direction affecting the sight of drivers.

Signs and signals and roller crash barriers would be installed, and hair-pin curves would be improved on the ghat road. Soil nailing would be carried out on roads, he added.