TENKASI: With the increasing number of vehicles and tourist activities causing daytime rush near Kasi Viswanathar Temple, activists have sought a parking facility near the temple premises.
Speaking to TNIE, District road safety committee member R Pandiarajan said, “The number of vehicles in all towns has increased enormously in recent years. With Tenkasi being made a district headquarters, the numbers have increased fast as all district headquarters facilities, including the collectorate and district police office, have been created. Thousands of beneficiaries of government services visit Tenkasi daily. Apart from this, devotees and tourists also throng Tenkasi’s Kasi Viswanathar Temple, Courtallam and other spots. However, the lack of a parking facility near the temple, which is the heart of the town, is a curse to Tenkasi.”
B Nanthakumar, a resident said the MLA, MP, district administration and municipality chairperson of Tenkasi did not have any long-sighted view for the town’s development. “There is not even a two-lane road for about 100 metres near the municipality office on the Tenkasi-Tirunelveli road. Because of this, vehicles heading towards the town have to be stopped for some time to make way for the vehicles exiting the town and vice-versa. It may take decades for the construction of a ring road for the town. The lack of a parking facility near the temple causes traffic snarls in the town,” Nanthakumar argued.
When contacted by TNIE, R Sadhir, chairperson of Tenkasi municipality, said that the Public Works Department had refused to give the unused old Court building near the temple for the municipality to construct a multilevel parking facility. “Even though the building is unused, our repeated requests to the PWD were in vain. We have sent a proposal to the state government to demolish the old bus stand, where a multilevel parking facility with a bus stoppage area can be constructed,” he said.
As a temporary solution, the municipality has set up a parking facility near Therku Mada Veethi near the temple, where around 200-300 vehicles can be parked. This may reduce the traffic congestion around the temple. However, the public is not interested in parking their vehicles there. We need police support to make it function, Sadhir added.
A police official said that no request regarding the Therku Mada Veethi parking facility was received from the municipality. “Police take control of the municipality roads. However, it is the responsibility of the municipality to envision permanent parking for vehicle users,” the official said.