MADURAI : The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court recently told the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) to fill the potholes on the Madurai-Aruppukottai stretch of the national highways (NH-38) on a priority basis, till a decision was taken on relaying the said highway. A bench comprising Chief Justice Sanjay V Gangapurwala and Justice G Ilangovan further expressed hope that the NHAI would take a decision on the relaying within three to four months.
The observations were made on a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) petition filed by one V Senthilkumar of Virudhunagar. He stated in the petition that the Madurai-Aruppukottai stretch of NH-38, which measures around 59.2 km, was in poor condition with huge potholes at several places, thereby posing risks to commuters.
When Senthilkumar filed a grievance petition before the NHAI authorities in this regard in January, the authorities informed that there was a proposal for carrying out overlaying works throughout the length of the highway and the estimate for the same has been awaiting approval. "The authorities also added that the potholes are being repaired regularly. However, the patchwork is uneven, and the road is still bumpy and difficult to use," he claimed and sought a direction to scrap and relay the road.