Residents protest against construction of culvert

Residents of Chottainthopu near Arockiapuram in Thoothukudi district staged a road blockade on the Thoothukudi-Rameswaram highway to protest against the construction of a new culvert in their area.

The construction of the culvert, carried out by the State Highways Department, began 10 days ago in Chottainthopu under the Mapillaiurani panchayat.

The residents stated that their village is in the elevated region where rainwater does not accumulate. They have raised their concern that the construction of the structure could lead to water stagnation in their area during the rainy season.

Kalimuthu, a resident said that the construction of the culvert began 10 days ago during which a major portion of the road was dug up for the culvert. He noted that the large pit has caused a significant amount of hardships for the motorists.

“Accidentally one person even fell into the pit and got severely injured. Our village is already in an elevated region where water doesn’t accumulate, but construction of a culvert might lead to further accumulation in the future,” he added.

An official from the State highways department stated that the culvert work is part of Climate Resilient Urban Development programme under which a downstream drain is being built from Thoothukudi city to Tharuvaikulam to drain rainwater.

He said that the culvert work in the area has been cancelled following the demands of residents and will be relocated to a nearby area after finalising the location.

Published - November 27, 2024 08:47 pm IST