TIRUPPUR: Road accidents have increased in the Palladam taluk and over 2528 licences were cancelled in cases related to traffic violations in the last four months.
According to RTO reports, of the 12,611 licences cancelled in the district, Palladam accounted for one-fifth of the cases, with 2,528 licence cancellations. Similarly, 551 accidents were registered in the year 2021. In 2017, 667 accidents were reported, whereas 623 accidents were reported in 2018. It was 646 in 2019 and 480 accidents were reported in 2020. The numbers are higher than all other six zones in Tiruppur district including Tiruppur city, Avinashi, Kangeyam, Dharapuram, and Udumalaipet.
Social activist KVS Manikumar told TNIE that the officials are taking measures such as repairing traffic signals, identifying and eliminating black spots, and providing emergency responses to reduce traffic violations. "Besides, we are also meeting youngsters and motorists of the locality and are creating awareness about the importance of safe driving. But still, the road accidents and traffic violations are increasing," he said.
Speaking to TNIE, Palladam Block Union vice-chairman E Balasubramanium said, "The highway passing through Palladam town is an important route to south Tamil Nadu. Any vehicle to Madurai, Dindigul, Tirunelveli and Thoothukudi has to go through Palladam. But the National Highway is just a two-lane road. As a result, traffic violations, congestion and accidents have become a habitual occurrence in our taluk. Fatal and non-fatal accidents have increased in the town. we have sought the construction of a flyover inside Palladam Taluk and hope this could be a solution for the problem'.
Superintendent of Police G Shashank Sai said police have organised a lot of awareness programmes to create awareness in the taluk. "Since Palladam is located in a strategic spot in Tiruppur district, it is tedious work for the traffic police wing to manage the roads. We will strengthen the force in the taluk to reduce the accidents and traffic violations," he said.