DHARMAPURI: Tribal residents of Erimalai have urged the state government to expedite the construction of roads in their village. Two years ago, the Dharmapuri administration and the forest department began initiatives to build roads to the Erimalai and Alakattu tribal hamlets in the Pennagaram block. They conducted the necessary studies, surveys, and filed for a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change. However, the clearance has not yet been approved, causing a delay in the roadwork.
K Sivappa from Erimalai told TNIE, "The Erimalai and Alakattu villages are among the most isolated hamlets in the Dharmapuri district. For the better part of the past decade, we have been appealing to the administration for roads, and we recently learned that efforts are underway. The forest and BDO staff have promised us a road, but there is a delay in clearance from the forest department. We urge the Dharmapuri administration to take action."
S Pasuvappa from Alakattu, said, "Presently, two-wheelers can access our villages during the summer. During the rainy season, it is impossible to travel on two-wheelers. It is an almost 7 km journey from Seengadu to Erimalai and three km from Erimalai to Alakattu. This is also the planned route for the roads. The lack of roads severely impacts our access to healthcare, education, and other necessities."
Palacode Forest Ranger S Karthikeyan said, "We have provided all the necessary documents and completed the required process for the clearance. The Dharmapuri administration has uploaded the details to the 'PARIVESH' portal."
Officials in the Pennagaram BDO office said, "There has been no update since our application. Two phases of clearance have been completed. Following the completion of the clearance, efforts will be made to lay the roads. At present, over 4.81 hectares of forest land is required for the project, and we could lay a 7-meter road here."