M. Senthilkumar, Executive Engineer, DRDA (Vellore) inspecting the on-going level work as part of bitumen road formation between Nekkani and Kollaiyam tribal hamlets.
| Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
Remote tribal hamlets atop Peechamanthai hillock near Vellore town will soon get a bitumen access road as the work to lay the black-topped stretch between Nekkani and Kollaiyam tribal hamlets, a distance of 5.75 kms, in the hillock was started by the District Rural Development Agency (DRDA).
The DRDA officials said that the stretch was formed as a pathway back in the 1900s by the British to monitor the thick forest areas. Since then, the pathway has been used by the tribals in the hillock with no repair or formation of pucca road. “Tribals have donated 2.47 acres of their patta land for road formation that will connect remote hamlets to the nearest big village in the hillock,” M. Senthilkumar, Executive Engineer (EE), DRDA (Vellore), told The Hindu.
Located on the northern side of Jawadhu Hills with its thick deciduous forest, the Nekkani and Kollaiyam hamlets form a part of Palambattu village panchayat in the hillock. Around 400 people reside in these hamlets. Corn, groundnut, banana, sugarcane and millets are cultivated. “We have been taking the sick and pregnant woman in a sling, fashioned out of a cloth to the government hospital at Anaicut, the nearest facility available around 25 kms from the hamlets, all these years. The bitumen stretch will be a lifeline for us,” said S. Kayal, a resident.
Every day, two bus services are operated up to Peechamanthai village, around 18 kms from the foothills, that has a bitumen stretch. From Peechamanthai village, residents have to walk five kms on the rocky pathway atop the hill to reach these two hamlets.
At present, tribals take a detour of 30 kms through Amirthi Main Road in Anaicut to reach Vellore town for essentials, including facilities like Primary Healthcare Centre (PHC), government high school, fairprice shops, banks, ATMs and government offices.
As per plan, DRDA officials said the Forest Department has allowed to lay 20-ft wide bitumen road that includes a 10-ft wide carriageway at a cost of ₹ 11.50 crore. It will help to ply regular bus services to the tribal hamlets for the first time. As major portion of the pathway is located across the Naganathi river, 17 cross drainage works including three culverts and cement concrete hard bed each will be built to prevent damage of the stretch due to inundation during monsoon. Also, walls will be retained at a height of 15 feet at two spots on the route due to its steep slope. It will ensure the safety of motorists. The entire work will be completed in a few months.
