Residents of Sengalathupadi village in Yercaud pool money to repair road

They want the TNSTC to resume the bus service that was stopped during COVID-19 pandemic

The residents of Sengalathupadi village in Yercaud chipped in money to repair a damaged road, after the TNSTC refused to operate bus service to their village citing the poor condition of road.

Sengalathupadi is a small tribal village that comes under the Semmanatham panchayat in Yercaud and more than 300 families reside in the village. The residents have to travel 22 km every day to reach schools or the workplaces in Yercaud. Four years ago, a bus service was provided to the village. But it was stopped during COVID-19 pandemic

The people, recently, approached the TNSTC officials seeking resumption of bus service. The officials had allegedly told them that a three-kilometer stretch enroue to their village was severely damaged and the service would be resumed only after the road was repaired.

Palanisamy, a resident, said that the villagers approached the panchayat president and district administration to repair the road. However, the officials refused to repair the road citing lack of funds, he claimed.

“Following this, our village elders collected a total of ₹ 2 lakh from the residents. With the help of construction workers in our village, the road was repaired last week. We hope that the TNSTC will now provide bus service to our village, as more than 50 school students are struggling to reach Yercaud every day,“ Mr. Palanisamy said.

Officials from the Rural Development Department said they had sent a proposal to the government to carry out batch works for the three-km stretch in the village. “Once the funds are sanctioned, we will repair the roads,” they said.

Salem Division TNSTC Managing Director R. Ponmudi said that he would send the depot manager to the village to conduct a survey. The bus service will be resumed based on the outcome of the survey, he added.