Residents protest for new vehicular subway on Chennai-Bengaluru Highway in Ambur

Residents, including women, farmers, and traders, staged a protestation for the operation of a caller subway connected Chennai-Bengaluru Highway (NH 48), which is maintained by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), astatine Sandrorkuppam colony successful Ambur municipality successful Tirupattur connected Sunday.

Residents said the village, which had astir 3,000 houses, formed a portion of 31, 33, and 34 wards of Ambur municipality. Apart from residential colonies, the colony besides had implicit 1,200 acres of cultivation land, wherever paddy was cultivated astatine slightest 2 seasons successful a year.

“We person been demanding a vehicular subway to curb accidents connected an mishap prone agelong connected the constrictive work lane,” said S. Gopinathan, a resident. Municipal officials said residents decided to protestation for a caller subway arsenic the NHAI planned to adjacent the constrictive crossing connected the work lane to forestall accidents. As per constabulary reports, accidents occurred astatine that crossing, particularly during night, arsenic motorists failed to announcement the vehicles and pedestrians coming from the village.

Municipal officials said the roadworthy crossing had been successful usage since it was a constrictive single-lane roadworthy galore years ago. The crossing is utilized by radical including farmers, students, and traders. “We person asked the NHAI to conception the subway astatine Sandrorkuppam colony to marque the crossing harmless for residents,” A. Muthusamy, Commissioner, Ambur Municipality, told The Hindu.

Residents said isolated from Sandrorkuppam village, tribal hamlets adjacent Ambur would beryllium affected by the closure of the roadworthy crossing. Currently, determination is simply a vehicular subway astatine Solur, the nearest colony that has a harmless crossing. Solur is astir 2 km from Sandrorkuppam.

NHAI officials said efforts would beryllium taken to physique a caller underpass adjacent the colony to supply harmless transition for some motorists and pedestrians.