TIRUPPUR: District Collector T Christuraj on Sunday inspected the hill villages near Udumalaipet in Tiruppur and heard the grievances of the tribal people.
Sources said there are more than 15 tribal villages including Kurumalai, Kuzhipatti, and Mavadappu in the Udumalai forest range, which is under the Anamalai Tiger Reserve (ATR) . As many as 101 tribal families live in Kurumalai village. The villagers have been demanding for the construction of proper road facilities to reach Kurumalai village as they have to walk about 5.5 km on a hill path from the foothills of Thirumurthy Hill to reach the village. During his visit, the collector consulted on road construction work for the Kurumalai village.
The collector said, “Apart from Kurumalai, the inspection was also conducted in the hill villages of Kuzhippatti and Kattupatti. Discussions were also held regarding the construction of road facilities to these villages.”
A senior official of the forest department, said, “The visit was scheduled to inspect the existing road as well as the stretch for which the road was demanded by the residents.”
“To construct a road to Kurumalai, a revised estimate will be prepared by the concerned department as per the field conditions and it will be submitted for necessary wildlife and forest clearances. Any new road construction will take place after receiving necessary clearances and permission from relevant authorities,” he added.