NHAI yet to utilise land acquired for widening accident-prone Trichy-Karur NH

Trichy: National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) on Saturday conducted an inspection to find solutions for infrastructure lapses on the accident-prone Trichy-Karur national highway (NH) sandwiched between railway tracks and Cauvery river.A team led by B Arun Prasad, project director of NHAI's Trichy Project Implementation Unit (PIU), accompanied by members of the public, inspected a 12km stretch of the NH between Thindukkarai and Pettavaithalai, where the most number of fatal accidents have been recorded. Activists told the team about unutilised land on the 12km stretch, which is most susceptible to fatal accidents. While NHAI has been claiming that lack of adequate land was the prime reason for not widening the two-lane highway, the inspection revealed that land acquired by NHAI in 2015 is yet to be utilised. "NHAI perhaps lacks information on land parcels available with them to widen the NH. At least 10 acres of land should be available. The narrow road between Thirupparaithurai toll plaza and Pettavaithalai can be widened into four lanes by NHAI," said K Thangaraj, a retired Indian Air Force officer from Trichy who was part of the inspection.Sharing similar views, R Lakshminarayanan, proprietor of Lakshmi Vilas hotel in Perugamani, told TOI that his land acquired by NHAI in Nov 2015 has still not been used to widen the carriageway. He is also awaiting excess compensation from NHAI as directed by Madras high court. Residents and frequent commuters urged Arun Prasad to install additional streetlights at Mukkombu, a tourist destination. A steep curve between Mukkombu barrage's entrance and Elamanur village was flagged unsafe for two-wheeler riders, and speeding buses in the narrow stretch pose serious threats.Improvement of the stormwater drain infrastructure and building a pedestrian foot overbridge (FoB) with bus bays for students to cross the highway in Thirupparaithurai and Sirugamani areas were suggested. "The field visit was part of our routine. Solutions will be worked out based on our findings," the project director told TOI.