DHARMAPURI: Residents of Palacode have urged the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) to complete the works of the Hosur- Royakottai- Palacode- Adhiyamankottai (NH - 844) soon, as the traffic flow between rural areas in Palacode has been disrupted as they have to take long detours to reach their location.
According to sources, the NHAI began relaying the Hosur - Royakottai - Palacode - Adhiyamankottai road, which is part of the NH -844 in 2019, at `980 crore, to improve connectivity between Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.“However, the project is ongoing even after around two and a half years,” sources added.
K Chinnasamy, a resident of Jittandahalli said, “This project was initially met with much opposition but was later accepted by the people after a long legal battle. However, the works have been moving at a snail’s pace, which has led to severe traffic constraints in the area. Vehicles passing between Dharmapuri and Palacode have to travel through uneven roads, causing severe traffic constraints. Especially farmers travelling on the route suffer a lot as they have to take a long detour while transporting their produce,” he said.
A farmer, S Rajamurugan from Palacode, said, “Many freight trucks do not use this road now, but there are still a large number of local residents, especially farmers who use the road. Many villages connecting the highway are now disconnected due to the road works and hence, we have to travel additional distances to reach markets. With the rising fuel prices, this additional expense for transport is not favourable for farmers.”
S Thamizh, a resident from Pulikarai, said, “It is tough for two-wheelers to travel on the road as the construction slits have accumulated along the diverted roads, causing loss of traction. The NHAI must ensure that the two-wheeler lanes are properly cleared of dust to ensure safe passage.”When TNIE spoke to officials in the NHAI they said that the works were hindered due to the pandemic and efforts are on to complete the works as soon as possible.