Residents stage road roko demanding basic amenities in Salem

Residents in Salem stage a road blockade demanding improved amenities and repairs to their dilapidated roads.

Demanding basic amenities, including re-laying of the tar-topped road, residents of the Moolapillaiyar Kovil area staged a road blockade here on Wednesday (February 18, 2026).

Led by P. Ganesan, Urban Committee Secretary of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), the residents said that more than 1,000 families live in the locality, where the roads are reportedly in a dilapidated condition. They sought the immediate laying of a tar road, provision of proper drainage facilities, and reconstruction of a damaged ground-level bridge.

Over a hundred people gathered and sat on the roadway, blocking vehicular movement on the Shevapet–Kandampatti Main Road. Police personnel rushed to the spot and initiated talks with the protesters. However, the residents insisted that they would call off the agitation only if Mayor A. Ramachandran visited the site in person and assured remedial action.

Following this, the Mayor arrived at the spot and assured the residents that the damaged road and other essential amenities would be addressed shortly. After receiving the assurance, the protesters dispersed peacefully. Traffic movement, which had been affected for over an hour due to the blockade, was subsequently restored.