TIRUPATTUR: About 10,000 people of the Malayali tribe, a scheduled tribal community, at the popular tourist destination of Yelagiri Hills have been struggling for the past four years due to the extremely poor condition of the ring road connecting their villages.
Although there is a well-maintained main road from Athanavur to Thalayoor and to the villages of Kottayur, Punganur, and Mangalam, which host popular attractions like a boathouse, nature park, and trekking spots, access to 11 villages Athanavur, Varakkottai, Kottur, Ezthunakalvattam, Pallakaniyur, Kelapparai Vattam, Mettukaniyur, Padanoor, Puthoor, Nilavoor, and Thayaloor is fraught with loose gravel, huge potholes, and uneven stretches, making it especially dangerous on the sloped terrain.
The ring road also has several resorts and tourist destinations, including Ramakrishna Mutt, Malainachi Amman temple, and Thangakottai. The poor condition of the roads is impacting tourism as well.
R Kali Gounder, a 74-year-old resident of Kottur, said most residents are daily wage laborers in agriculture or construction, earning only 500 a day. "During health emergencies, autorickshaws sometimes demand the entire Rs 500 for just a 3 km ride. For the medical costs, we then have to borrow.” The area has only one primary health centre, serving all 14 villages.
While it addresses basic needs, emergencies such as snake bites, dog bites, and deliveries require a 25-kilometre trip to Tirupattur government hospital, but villagers report that autorickshaws or ambulances do not come due to the poor road conditions.
E Rahilent Ebens, principal of a private school, who has also petitioned authorities over the issue, said, “The wear and tear on vehicles lead to autorickshaws charging Rs 300 to Rs 400 for just 3 km.” Auto driver G Selvaraj added, “For every Rs 100 fare, I lose Rs 75 on petrol.” K. Susi, a mother with a student in a residential school, remarked, “I experience severe body pain every time we travel on these interior roads and our car gets heavily damaged on every trip.”
College student K Trisha, who commutes on a two-wheeler, reported suffering from ankle pain due to prolonged braking, along with back, leg, and hand pain.
Additionally, the school principal indicated that around 2,400 government school children and college students from five government schools and one private college have to walk 3 to 6 kilometres to school, as no town or school bus operate in the area. Villagers also have to walk 3 km to the Athanavoor bus stop to access shops and other services.
Residents also report lack of streetlight in 95% of the region. When they approach authorities, they are being told that streetlight and bus services will be provided once the condition of the roads gets improved.
Multiple residents pointed out a dangerous blind spot between Attanavur and Kottur, where three people two tourists and one local have died in accidents over the past five years. D Lourduraj, a resident who has been filing petitions over the issue since 2022, said, “The spot is dangerous due to the lack of streetlights and phone signals. Several areas are like this, so if an accident occurs, there's no way to call for help.”
In response to these concerns, Jolarpet panchayat union secretary said the ring road, divided into four sections, was handed over to state highways via a resolution passed on July 3 last year.
An official from the District Rural Development Agency, Tirupattur, confirmed a proposal has been submitted to upgrade the roads to “Other District Roads” (ODR) and hand them over to the state highways department, but approval from the head office in Chennai is still pending.
Meanwhile, state highway officials said they are ready to address the issues once the roads are officially transferred to them. Despite multiple attempts, director of Rural Development and Panchayat Raj P Ponnaih could not be reached.