TIRUPATTUR: A section of the heavily damaged ring road between Athanavur and Kottur along the interior areas of the Yelagiri Hills would be repaired under the Chief Minister's Rural Road Development Scheme, responded the CM's special cell on Monday to a query from a Yelagiri resident requesting road maintenance.
The reply also mentioned that stormwater drains, speed breakers, and street lights will be installed along the road. The decision follows an inspection of the road stretch by officials concerned on October 14, after the resident, D Lourduraj, submitted his query on July 16.
Speaking to TNIE, Lourduraj said that he had requested repairs ahead of the onset of the northeast monsoon. “There already are huge potholes and dangerous spots, which will become even more perilous for residents during the monsoon,” he said.
However, it is unclear how the remaining stretches of the road would be maintained. An official from the District Rural Development Agency (DRDA) told TNIE that they have reached out to their Chennai head office for a timely decision on whether to hand over the maintenance work to the State Highways Department or to retain it under the Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Department.
Approximately 10,000 members of the Malayali tribe, a scheduled tribe community residing in the popular tourist destination of Yelagiri Hills, have been struggling for the last four years due to the dire state of the roads connecting their villages.
While there is a well-maintained main road from Athanavur to Thalayoor, and to the villages of Kottayur, Punganur, and Mangalam — home to popular attractions like a boathouse, nature park, and trekking spots — the roads to 11 villages — Athanavur, Varakkottai, Kottur, Ezthunakalvattam, Pallakaniyur, Kelapparai Vattam, Mettukaniyur, Padanoor, Puthoor, Nilavoor, and Thayaloor — are fraught with large potholes, loose gravel and uneven stretches, making road travel dangerous on the sloped terrain.