COIMBATORE: With traffic on the Marudhamalai main road increasing everyday, Coimbatore City Municipal Corporation’s (CCMC) Ward 41 councillor and education, parks and sports grounds committee member K Shanthi wrote to the state highways department requesting them to widen the road.
The Maruthamalai main road from Lawley signal junction to Vadavalli bus stop is about 4.5 km in length. Shanthi along with CPI functionaries met the Divisional Engineer of the State Highways Department and submitted a petition seeking wideneing 1.5 km of the road from Pudhur to Karuparayaswami temple.
Speaking to TNIE, Shanthi said, “The road was last widened around 15 years ago. Since then numerous residential units, commercial complexes, educational institutions and factories have come up in the area including PN Pudur, Mullai Nagar, Veerakeralam, Vadavalli, Kalveerampalayam and Marudhamalai. Due to this, traffic on the road has increased. Considering the welfare of the people, the road must be widened and a footpath should be constructed along with stormwater drains.”
When inquired about it, a senior state highways department official told TNIE that the stretch on the road which the councillor mentioned in her letter was recently widened and it would require land acquisition for widening it further. “As per norms, we cannot widen a road for the next five years if it was already widened recently. We shall check the feasibility, the land required for widening works, cost and submit a report to the government.”