Two tribal settlements in Talavadi Hills to get tar-topped roads

Two tribal settlements in Talavadi Hills, namely Kalithimbam and Mavanatham, located within the Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve (STR) in Tamil Nadu, would soon have tar-topped roads. The work will be undertaken at a total cost of ₹1.88 crore.

Two tribal settlements in Talavadi Hills, namely Kalithimbam and Mavanatham, located within the Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve (STR) in Tamil Nadu, would soon have tar-topped roads. The work will be undertaken at a total cost of ₹1.88 crore.

Both these settlements – with 75 and 90 families, respectively – are located off the Dhimbam-Talavadi Road in Talamalai panchayat. The hamlets, which currently have no motorable roads, can be reached only via mud roads. 

The year 2011-12 was the last time single-layer water bound macadam (WBM) roads were laid in these hamlets. The roads were not re-laid since, and the efforts to re-lay them in 2022 did not take off. 

The residents have been long demanding motorable roads as the existing roads have suffered extensive damage due to rains.

On Wednesday (September 4, 2024), District Collector Raja Gopal Sunkara inspected the damaged road at Kalithimbam and held discussions with various officials. He said under the Chief Minister’s Village Roads Development Programme, 2 km of road would be laid in Kalithimbam at ₹1.07 crore. Mavanatham would get a road at a cost of ₹81.96 lakh, he added.

The Collector also inspected the Government Trial Residential Middle School at Bejalatti and interacted with the students.