PERAMBALUR: With jeans jacked up to the knees and clumsily holding onto their essentials, the residents of Velluvadi village cross the Vellaru river in inevitable wary, something that has been weighing their everyday lives down for the past several years.
The troubles they cross only worsens during the rains, when the waters rise to the knee. Sans a flyover bridge to connect Velluvadi to Korakkavadi in Cuddolare district, the villagers are left with little to no choice but detour through Kariyanur to reach the other districts; or, as already stated, walk across.
Over 700 families reside in Velluvadi village in Kariyanur panchayat of Veppanthattai union. From shopping for essentials to a hospital check-up, people of this slightly-isolated village stand up to their own depths to make ends meet.
The district of Cuddalore, afar on the other side, hosts essentials such as groceries, stationeries and other necessities, and the people of Velluvadi cross a tightrope to reach Tholudur in the district. Braving the danger, even school and college vans settle for a risky ride across the river.
Desperate for a solution, the residents have been insist for a bridge across the river for long, narrating the inconveniences they are exposed to. Even repeated protests and road blockades, they say, failed to seize official attention. S Manikandan, a resident of Velluvadi, told TNIE, "Our lives have been dragged down by commutation woes.
There is only one bus plying via our route, which arrives early in the morning. If missed, we have to cross the river to reach Korakkavadi and Tholudur. During the rains, we are forced to cross aggravated dangers as the river would be full to the brim for three months.
The residents of Korakkavadi, too, face a similar situation." T Subramanian, another resident, said, "Every one of us, including school and college-going students, are at risk, as commutation is a cause of perpetual fear for us. Therefore, a flyover bridge should be in place without delay.
It is a hard time for maize and groundnut farmers to transport their produce too." Perambalur MLA M Prabhakaran said, "I have petitioned with the District Collector for a bridge that connects the two districts. It will be constructed soon."