Residents seek wider service roads

Trichy: CPM members and Thiruverumbur residents blocked a road at Kattur on Monday, demanding the Tamil Nadu govt and National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) to construct wider service roads for Trichy-Thanjavur NH.
Protesters, based on an affidavit submitted by the state govt in the Madurai bench of Madras high court, said that the govt is planning to reduce the minimum width of new service roads from 45m to 33m to prevent traders from losing their commercial properties.
The 14.5km stretch of Trichy-Thanjavur NH was commissioned without service roads about 14 years ago. It has witnessed frequent fatalities and traffic congestion since then.
The narrow service roads between Palpannai and Thuvakudi may not serve the purpose as vehicles coming to commercial establishments on either side of the NH will use the roads to park vehicles, said protesters.
Police detained 66 protesters briefly and assured them to inform highways officials about their concerns.