MADURAI: The Madurai Bench of Madras High Court on Wednesday directed the state government to file a report on a PIL seeking direction to construct a road over bridge across Kollidam river, linking Kudikadu village of Thanjavur and Mela Ramanallur island village in Ariyalur.
The litigant Sundara Vimal Nathan, secretary of Tamil Nadu Cauvery Farmers Protection Association, stated that Mela Ramanallur and Keezha Ramanallur are island villages of Kollidam river. Nearly 2,500 people are residing in the said villages and engage in cultivation on around 1,000 hectares of land, he added.
Since the residents use boat service to Kabisthalam and Papanasam in Thanjavur, which takes only 10 minutes, they became more associated with Thanjavur than Ariyalur. While there is a bridge in Mela Ramanallur to reach Ariyalur town, there is no overbridge to connect the villages with Thanjavur district, he alleged.
He recalled a boat accident that took place in 2019 in which a boat carrying 41 persons, who were returning from Mela Ramanallur after attending a temple festival, capsized due to overload leading to the death of four persons, adding that the incident demonstrated the seriousness of the issue.
Though foundation stone was laid to construct an overbridge to connect the villages with Thanjavur in 2017 and Rs 82.62 crore funds were sanctioned for the same, the works have not commenced so far, he claimed and sought the above relief.
Since the government counsel informed that the funds sanctioned were later withdrawn, a bench of Justices CV Karthikeyan and R Sakthivel directed the government counsel to get instructions on the issue, including the GOs relating to the sanction and withdrawal of funds. The case was adjourned to October 7.