Kodaikanal village to get road after four centuries
Dindigul: It was a historic moment for
Vellakavi villagers
in the Kodaikanal hills as their village was finally set to be connected with a road. On Wednesday, Palani MLA I P Senthilkumar and
Dindigul
collector S Saravanan laid the foundation stone for the Rs22 crore road work at Vattakanal, eight kilometres from the village.
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Vellakavi, with a population of 350 people, has existed for over 400 years without a road. The nearest road at Vattakanal could only be reached through trekking. Villagers turned emotional when the groundbreaking ceremony for the road was held . The villagers carry their farm produce on their shoulders or on ponies and have to undertake the eight-kilometre trek to Vattakanal for all their needs. Things become difficult when someone falls sick as they have to be carried on dollies to Vattakanal, from where they can take a vehicle or ambulance.
Finally, the state govt has taken up the
road construction
from Vattakanal to Vellakavi with the help of Nabard. In the first phase, it will be laid for three kilometre from Vattakanal, while administrative sanction will be sought for the next three kilometres this year, said the district collector. On the civil supplies minister's instruction, PDS items are delivered at the doorsteps of Vellakavi people since last month.
The collector said they are making efforts to redress the problems of hill villages on the orders of the chief minister.
Addressing the villagers, Senthilkumar, MLA, said they also laid the foundation stone for a Rs10 crore road project from Koppaikadu to Sembirankulam in Vadakavunji panchayat. Vadakavunji has been provided with a three-phase electrical supply.
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