Kalvarayan hills: Madras High Court sets 3 week deadline to re-lay road

CHENNAI: The Madras High Court directed the Kallakurichi District Collector to reconstruct the 32-kilometre stretch in Kalvarayan hills as a motorable road to enhance the villagers’ livelihood and development by rendering the mainland accessible.

A division bench of Justice SM Subramaniam and Justice V Sivagnanam directed the Collector to complete the repair work on the stretch between Vellimalai and Chinna Thirupathi within three weeks.

Directing the Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation (TNSTC), Villupuram division to ply minibus services on the road, the bench asked the Collector to file a report on the bus service provided within four weeks.

The directions were given while hearing the suo motu case initiated to protect the socio-economic status of the downtrodden Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST) people residing in various villages at Kalvarayan hills in Kallakurichi.

In compliance with the direction of the high court, the Kallakurichi district collector appeared on Tuesday and submitted an affidavit explaining the measures taken to lay roads in the villages of Kalvarayan hills.

Additional Advocate General (AAG) J Ravindran, on behalf of the State, submitted that of the five places that have been marked as unserved areas without proper roads, the road laying work on the stretch between Vellimalai and Chinna Thirupathi is transferred to the Highways department.

AAG Ravindran added that funds have been allocated to lay roads in two places and a proposal for laying roads in the remaining two areas has been initiated to allocate the funds.

Senior counsel KR Tamilmani, appointed as amicus curiae, submitted that the State’s failure to take prompt measures to lay the roads has put the villagers in trouble as they are unable to access medical services and education.

Further, the senior counsel sought the high court’s direction to immediately repair the road between Vellimalai and Chinna Thirupathi and commence the minibus services.

After the submission, the bench directed the Collector to inspect the stretch between Vellimalai to Chinna Thirupathi and repair the road with the available funds.

The bench observed that it would hear the other aspects of developing the Kalvarayan hills region in the next hearing and adjourned the matter.