Plea for installation of street lights on Tirunelveli West Bypass Road

The Social Democratic Party of India has appealed to Collector Anand Mohan to take steps for installing street lights along Tirunelveli West Bypass Road, as the partly completed stretch is being used by motorists, especially bike riders.

In a petition submitted to the Collector at the weekly grievances redressal meeting held at the Collectorate on Monday, SDPI office-bearer M. Shaik Ismail said the Tirunelveli West Bypass Road was being laid to connect Tirunelveli – Kanniyakumari foir-lane National Highway and Tirunelveli – Madurai four-lane National Highway via Tharuvai, Suththamalli, Abhishekapatti, Rastha and Thaazhaiyooththu to enable commuters reach Tenkasi and Kerala without entering Tirunelveli. Since the stretch between Konganthaanpaarai intersection on Tirunelveli – Kanniyakumari highway and Suththamalli had been almost completed, many ywo-wheelers and cars were now using the road.

However, the absence of street lights along thr road led to accidents at night. Hence, the Collector should instruct officials to install street lights and the police to erect barricades at important junctions to reduce the speed of the vehicles, Mr. Shaik Ismail said.

A group of people from Vickramasingapuram, who built their houses on land belonging to the Department of Highways, submitted a petition appealing to the Collector to save them from possible eviction. They said 40 poor families had built their houses on the land with survey number 284, which belonged to the Department of Highways, 60 years ago and had been given power and drinking water connections as they were paying taxes to Vickramasingapuram municipality. While pattas were issued to the owners of the houses built on lands with survey numbers 282 and 283, no patta was issued for houses built on survey number 284 as it belonged to the Highways Department.

When the department decided to expand the existing road, eviction notices were issued to the dwellers of the houses on survey number 284. After inspecting the site, then Collector also told the house owners to be prepared to move out if the department proceeded with its road expansion plan.

“Since the expansion of the existing road can be carried out without disturbing the families living in the houses on survey number 284, the Collector should inspect the site and give due instructions to the Department of Highways,” the petitioners said.

A group of farmers submitted a petition against the unique identity number being given to farmers for getting crop loan and fertilizers at subsidised cost. They said the unique number, which was given after details about the holdings were uploaded online, would deny the agriculturists their right to get free power and fertilizers at subsidised cost. Hence, the procedure of giving unique number to farmers should be given up.

Another group of people from Tuckerammalpuram, who introduced themselves as agriculturists doing farming in their area, submitted a petition accusing the Tirunelveli CSI Diocese of attempting to evict them from their lands, which was reportedly leased out to them in 1850 by the British for “agricultural operations”.

However, the revenue officials said no farming operation was carried out on the land for more than 20 years as being claimed by the petitioners. Cultivation of any crop on the private patta land was possible only when the rain-fed tank behind Teachers’ Colony received water during heavy monsoon.

“In the past 26 years, this tank spread on over 65 acres overflowed only on four occasions and the last occasion being 2023, when Tirunelveli district experienced unprecedented downpour on December 17 and 18. Even then, nobody cultivated any crop on this land. To make this issue sensitive and volatile, caste colour is being unnecessarily added with the backing of a political party and a couple of caste outfits,” said a senior revenue official.