The public staged a protest near Chinnaveeranpatti alleging that heavy vehicles plying for the four-lane road work through Udumalpet in Tirupur were affecting their farmlands.
Tirupur: Owing to roadworks that had begun a few years ago and is still underway for a four-lane road from Pollachi to Dindigul via Udumalpet at a cost of Rs.1,500 crore, heavy vehicles have been plying through agricultural lands in RKR school area next to Chinnaveeranpatti near Udumalai in Tirupur district.
Hence, farmlands are being severely affected due to heavy vehicles plying day and night.
It is reported that the yield of coconut trees, banana trees and mulberry plants are likely to reduce due to soil dust.
It is said that the concerned contractors have not taken proper action thus far despite the farmers' demands that vehicles should be driven by watering the roads to prevent dust and other damages.
Since the heavy vehicles were continuing to be driven without heeding to the farmers' demands, the angry farmers stopped the heavy vehicles and staged a picket. Revenue and police officials who reached the spot on receiving information called the concerned contractor and interrogated him. The protest was temporarily called off after a written assurance was given to the farmers that the issue would be resolved.
There was a tense situation in the area for a few hours due to the farmers' protest.