DHARMAPURI: Residents of Vazhaithottam village, near Palacode, are angry over the long neglect of the authorities in building a railway overbridge so that they have seamless passage. Now, to register their protest they have threatened not to vote in the upcoming Lok Sabha election. They have put up a banner outside their village expressing their intention.
“For the past 68 years we have been urging the Dharmapuri administration to construct a railway overbridge to our village so that ambulances, fire brigade vehicles and even heavy vehicles for transporting agricultural products could travel without hindrance. As our demands fell on deaf ears we will be boycotting the election,” stated villagers.
The banner, which came up on Friday, calls attention to the Dharmapuri administration about their problem and the intended mode of protest.
“The access to the village has been limited by the construction of a narrow railway underpass which has completely isolated the village.
Only two-wheelers can enter the village. Emergency services like ambulances, fire engines or even tractors cannot enter through the narrow underpass. Both livelihood and emergency services were at stake,” local residents said.
Speaking to TNIE, local resident S Balaji said, “The current underpass was constructed nearly 70 years ago. We have been petitioning various departments, elected representatives and even the Railways to set up an underpass with culvert. Often during rains, water drains into the village and the area is cut off from other parts.
Moreover, the road turns into a drain. Our children develop rashes and allergies. Fed up, the entire village has decided to boycott the upcoming election.” S Marthandan, another resident, said, “During the 2021 election we had also planned to boycott the election. However, revenue officials convinced us to give up on the protest and assured us that efforts will be taken to meet their demand.
However, no efforts have been made so far. The only other way to reach our village is by taking a 8 km detour through more rugged terrain. We cannot build new buildings, bring in tractors or even take our produce easily to the markets.” We also need an underpass with an effective culvert for drainage,” he added.
Revenue officials said, “This matter cannot be decided by the district administration or local bodies. The railway track here falls within the South Western Railway division. A representation has to be made to the Railways,” they said.