TIRUPPUR: People living in tribal settlements in the Anamalai Tiger Reserve (ATR), including Kurumalai, have planned to launch an indefinite protest on February 14, demanding a road to their villages. To this end, they are distributing leaflets in settlements and mobilising support.
N Manikandan, state committee member of Tamil Nadu Tribal People’s Association, said, “There are more than 15 tribal villages including Kurumalai, Kuzhipatti, and Mavadappu in the Udumalaipettai forest range, which is under the ATR, in Tiruppur district. We have been fighting for about 50 years seeking roads in the hill villages. Due to our continuous protests, in 2023, the state government ordered the construction of a mud road from the foothills of Thirumurthy to Kurumalai village, where 101 families live, for Rs 49 lakh. But the work is not yet complete. Forest department’s interference is the reason for the delay.”
Around 1,300 families live in the 15 settlements. Of these, only eight settlements have a mud road connecting Udumalaipettai - Chinnar road.
“If a road is constructed from the foothills of Thirumurthy to Kurumalai, a distance of 6 km, people from the seven settlements can easily reach Udumalaipet. If we are to use the existing road via Attapadi we have to travel 100 km to reach Udumalaipet GH,” he added.
“Even for emergencies, we cannot go to the hospital within time. Local body officials and the forest department should take steps first to complete the earthen road from the foothills of Thirumurthy to Kurumalai. After that, funds should be allocated for roads to other settlements. To emphasise this, people will engage in an indefinite protest in front of the DFO office in Udumalaipettai from February 14.”
A senior officer in the forest department for ATR said, “We are negotiating with villagers in this regard. We are going to talk on Thursday too. The road is from Thirumurthy Hills to Kurumalai and is about 6.2 km. The district collector and we inspected the road recently. The mud road is not a permanent solution due to gradients and hairpin bends. Therefore, a new estimate is being prepared for a permanent road. Since the area falls under the core zone of the tiger reserve and requires forest land diversion, we need clearance from the district forest officer. The user agency has yet to apply for wildlife clearance. This will take one or two months depending upon the submission of the application. Work can be started after receiving permission,”
Officials of Dhali Town Panchayat said they have already submitted applications seeking clearance to construct the road.