Tamil nadu town restores road access to School after decades of encroachments
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Officials in Pernambut, a town in Tamil Nadu, India, demolished sixty houses and shops built on a one-kilometer stretch of Iyengar Road to improve access to Government Higher Secondary School.
The structures, many over a decade old, had narrowed the road and created safety concerns for students and other vehicles. Residents had petitioned Vellore district collector P.S. Leena Alex to address the issue and restore the road’s original width.
The Pernambut municipality carried out the demolition after securing a court order and serving notices to the occupants. The municipality also identified affected families to provide them with alternative land, offering three cents per family. Residents noted the school serves students from ten villages, making safe access particularly important. Beyond school access, the demolition also aimed to restore a water channel that had been blocked by the encroachments.
This channel carries rainwater from the town’s stormwater drains to the Palar River, and the blockages had caused waterlogging. Restoring the road’s original 40-foot width from a reduced 20 feet will improve traffic flow for residents traveling to nearby towns and essential services. In the coming weeks, officials plan to install safety features like blinkers, reflectors, steel railings, and speed breakers.
