Encroachments razed down on the Arakkonam-Tiruttani main road

Move aimed at easing traffic and preventing road accidents

Encroachments, mostly petty shops and extension of commercial buildings, were demolished on the Arakkonam-Tiruttani Main Road, which was maintained by the State Highways, in Arakkonam town on Wednesday.

Officials of the State Highways, which executed the drive, said that the demolition was aimed at easing traffic on the busy stretch that also witnesses frequent accidents. Of around 500 structures that have been identified for demolition, more than 60 illegal structures were razed in the three-day exercise which started on Wednesday. “Encroachments have narrowed the total width of the carriageway. The demolition exercise is to restore its original road space,” R. Selvakumar, Divisional Engineer (DE), State Highways (Arakkonam), told The Hindu.

The 15-km-long road has been dotted with encroachments mainly around Arakkonam town. The illegal structures have converted the four-lane stretch into a two-lane road. This has resulted in traffic congestion especially during rush hour and accidents near the railway station. Along with police, around 30 officials and workers were involved in the day-long demolition drive.   The State Highways also requested the local Tangedco officials to shift the existing 40 electrical poles and five transformers more than a year ago. The shifting charges, which run into lakhs, were also paid. However, officials said no efforts had been taken to shift the poles as Tangedco officials cited that HT power lines were running across the town and any shutdown for shifting of poles would affect industries and commercial establishments in the town.

Officials said the State Highways had even requested Tangedco to convert the overhead cables into underground optic fibre cables. It was willing to bear the cost, but Tangedco had not taken any decision on it.

As a result, motorists have to use the narrow stretch even after the removal of encroachments as the State Highways cannot widen it due to the Tangedco poles and transformers. As a stopgap measure, reflectors, warning sign boards and other safety measures have been in place on the recovered road space to prevent motorists from getting hit on the electrical poles along the stretch during night.