TIRUCHY: Whenever it rains, it is a nightmare for villagers of Ottampatti. They have to take an arduous 15-km detour to a nearby village due to flooding of a small bridge, which connects the villages.
Ottampatti, a small village situated in the foot of Pachamalai hills range, has poor road connectivity. The only way that connects to the neighbouring towns such as Sikathambur and Narasingapuram, situated
about 3.5 km away, is a small bridge.
In 2016, flood in the river near Kanapadi area collapsed the bridge. As the concerned department did not take any action, the villagers have been using only the damaged bridge.
"Though the river remains dry throughout the year, during monsoon there is a heavy flow of water. We cannot go to school or fields in neighbouring villages as the bridge would be overflowing with water. The only option is to take a 12-15 km detour through Sikathambur to Narasingapuram," said Murali, a resident.
"Earlier this week the area witnessed flash flood. As rainfall is expected to be high in the coming days, we request the concern authorities to construct the bridge," said Arun Kumar, another resident.
According to sources, measurements for constructing the bridge was taken before the pandemic situation. However, the tender process got slowed down and hence delay in the bridge construction.