Widen Kamarajar Road before monsoon, say locals

Residents of Mayiladuthurai face back-breaking rides due to delay in widening Kamarajar Road. Traffic snarls, potholes, and sewage from drainage system worsen the situation. State Highways Dept. started CRIDP works in Jan. at ₹6.47 crore. Lack of coordination between Dept. and TN EB delays project. Widening crucial to decongest town. Works to be completed in Sept. ahead of monsoon.

Residents of Mayiladuthurai town have expressed concern over back-breaking rides because of the delay in widening the arterial Kamarajar Road connecting Kumbakonam Road with Tharangambadi and Tiruvarur Roads.

Commuters faced difficulties as the road was pothole-ridden and stagnated with sewage from the underground drainage system. Traffic snarls tormented the commuters, particularly during peak hours, when vehicles navigated at a snail’s pace.

In January, the State Highways Department started constructing storm water drains and widening the road under the Comprehensive Road Infrastructure Development Programme (CRIDP) of the Urban Infrastructure Improvement Scheme at a cost of ₹6.47 crore.

Pointing to the slow pace of progress in works along the busy stretch. consumer activist A. Apparsundaram says the lack of coordination between the State Highways Department and the Tamil Nadu Electricity Board over shifting transformers and electric poles has delayed the completion of the project, which may face further difficulties if it not completed ahead of the northeast monsoon.

Widening the road is crucial to decongest Mayiladuthurai town, as Kamarajar Road is one of the arterial roads to bypass the bazaar areas. Flanked on both sides by educational institutions, residential complexes, commercial establishments, and wedding halls, the road is a pivotal link to Tharangambadi and Tiruvarur roads, he adds.

An official from the State Highways Department says the width of the 1.2-km road from Semmankulam to the Combined Court Complex was between 5.5 and 7 metre throughout the stretch. The department carried out evictions and removed encroachments on the road to widen it to 12 metre with two-way lanes and shoulder ways.

Construction of storm water drains on either side of the road has reached the final stages. Steps are under way to build two box culverts to connect drains on both sides. The State Highways Department has been working with the Tamil Nadu Electricity Board to shift three transformers and 28 electric poles. Then, the road will be blacktopped with dense bituminous macadam and bituminous concrete. The works are likely to be completed in September, well ahead of the rainy season, the official adds.