DHARMAPURI: Residents of Bathalahali filed a petition with the district administration seeking an alternative pathway as access to the school ground they used all these years has been cut off by a newly constructed compound.
The villagers said, "Recently, the Panchayat Union Primary School raised a wall to prevent tipplers from entering and misusing the 3.5-acre ground. But the structure blocked the path leading to Bathalahalli, forcing us to take a detour for nearly 2 km even for basic needs."
C Annamalai, a resident said, "We have been using the school land as the main path to the village. A few days ago, it was closed to protect the school premises. Now we have no pathway and must trek through private lands. Further construction may lead us to be boxed up."
Kumaresan, a lawyer, said, "The nearby village is over 2 km and people are forced to walk through private lands. We must be provided with an alternate pathway. Sealing off a path we used for 25 years has left us extremely distressed. In case of emergency, we cannot transport the elderly or ill as there are no roads to the village. We feel we are deliberately being attacked and isolated."
J Sukumar, Karimangalam Tahsildhar said, "In the petition filed with the Collector, they alleged that the villagers were purposefully targeted and isolated. This is false, the walls in the school were constructed by the panchayat to protect the premises. As far as an alternative path is concerned, we would take steps to mark the roads for the people."