VELLORE: Following the recent death of a tribal toddler, collector Kumaravel Pandian along with panchayat officials from Anaicut carried out a survey of the stretch where a road will be laid on Monday. The study, which is the first step in the road construction project, determined a stretch of 7.1 kilometres of mud track.
Dhanushka, daughter of Viji and Priya, in Alleri village, was bitten by a snake on May 27. Owing to a lack of proper roads or health facilities nearby, her parents were unable to get her medical attention on time, leading to her death.
The survey chalked out a pathway through the foothills of Alleri to Atthimarathu kollai, Palamarathuvattam and Nellimarathukollai. The road is expected to connect the villages to Anaicut. As per the survey, of the 7.1km stretch, 5km falls in forest area, while the remaining 2.1km passes through the belt. To prevent soil erosion during the monsoon, two large stone slabs and seven smaller pipe slabs will be installed throughout the stretch.
Additionally, 34 trees located within 6m on either side of the road will be removed for the safety of commuters. Roadside barriers at four strategic locations will also be installed. The forest department has been tasked to determine the compensation for all the trees that will be removed for the project.
Officials have confirmed that a comprehensive report is ready and estimates a project cost of Rs 12 crore. The report will be shared with the state government, which will be then forwarded to the Centre for permission from the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.
C Sivakumar, an assistant engineer from the rural department, Anaicut, confirmed the completion of the survey to TNIE. He further mentioned that the necessary documents will be uploaded to the forest department website on Thursday.