DHARMAPURI: Residents of Palacode in Dharmapuri district are upset over waterlogging along the under-construction Adhiyamankottai-Rayakottai stretch of National Highway 844. Water stagnated in most of the underpasses of the highway in Palacode after the recent rain.
Soil erosion on the sides of the highway exposes the poor drainage system along the highway, they said.
The construction of the Rs 980 crore national highway project which aims to cut the travel time to Bengaluru by 25 km began in 2020. With a major portion of the construction works over, the public in Palacode have been highly critical of the poor drainage system.
Residents stated that the highway has several underpasses and during the recent rain, most of the underpasses had severe water stagnation lasting several days, disrupting the lives of people. Hence, they urged the NHAI to improve the drainage.
E Arumugam, a farmer from Palacode, told TNIE, "The Adhiyamankottai-Royakottai-Hosur highway is one of the most crucial projects and a major portion of the works has been completed. While the roads are of top quality, we feel the drainage system adopted to keep the roads dry is sub-par. During the recent rain, most of the underpass along the highway was flooded. The water did not drain out, disrupting traffic flow for several days. We urge the officials to look into the matter."
Another resident, C Perumal from Palacode, said, "The rainwater from the roads drains through the side and flows out of the roads. This has caused soil erosion on the sides of the highway. If this is left unchecked, it could damage the roads. As the highway construction is underway, these minor problems can be rectified."
NHAI officials were not reachable for comment. The NH 844 connects Hosur in Karnataka and Adiyamankottai in the Dharmapuri district of Tamil Nadu.