Residents in distress over recurring traffic snarls in Kodaikanal
DINDIGUL: Long queues of vehicles over the last few days in Kodaikanal have left the residents in distress, with many complaining that a large number of cars parked along the roads added to the traffic congestion. As many as 1,510 vehicles entered Kodaikanal on Sunday alone.
According to official records, after ePass was made mandatory (from May 7) in Kodaikanal, as many as 24,98,070 persons and 4,13,858 vehicles registered for obtaining the pass till December 30. While only 11,01,505 passengers and 1,75,014 vehicles have entered Kodaikanal throughout the said period, 7,996 passengers and 1,510 vehicles turned up on Sunday alone.
Speaking to TNIE, Meenakshi Sundaram a farmer said, "There has been an unprecedented rise in crowd in many parts, primarily due to the Christmas season. Large number of cars were parked on both sides of the road in tourist spots like the Observatory, Vilpatti, Eluroad and other locations near the lake areas. It takes over one hour to cross many locations, adversely affecting the farmers, who have to travel to remote locations like Poombarai village. The situation is expected to continue up to Pongal."
Kodaikanal Municipality Chairman P Chelladurai termed the issue as perennial, and said, "In a bid to reduce the traffic congestion, we had proposed to construct a parking lot in a 5-acre land near to the bus stand. Based on the initial proposal, secretary for transport department K Phanindra Reddy inspected the spot in July, and the construction cost is estimated at `75 crore. Tenders will be floated after receiving required approvals, including environmental clearances."