CPI members end their hunger strike after talks with officials over laying service road

The group of five Communist Party of India (CPI) members, who went on an indefinite fast demanding expeditious steps to build service lanes along the city stretch of the Tiruchi-Thanjavur National Highway, withdrew their agitation on Thursday following talks with Revenue officials.

Comingg out in support of the local residents, who had been fighting for the cause for over 20 years, the CPI members, led by party’s rural district secretary S. Rajkumar, had gone on indefinite fast condemning the alleged official apathy towards executing the project. They urged the district administration to complete the land acquisition quickly and begin the project immediately.

On Thursday, a team of Revenue officials, led by District Revenue Officer R. Balaji, held talks with the protesting CPI members. Mr. Rajkumar told The Hindu that they had demanded that new development should not be permitted on the land proposed to be acquired along the 14.5 km stretch and plan approvals should not be given. The officials agreed to take up the matter with the Tiruchi City Corporation, he said.

The protesters opposed the Highways Department move to revise the ‘right of way’ of the service roads to 33 metres. The service roads should be of 45 metres as the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court.

The High Court, in its 2019 order, had accepted the opinion of the Chief Engineer, Construction and Maintenance, State Highways department, that the width of service lanes could be 45 metres on normal stretches, 60 metres at locations where vehicular underpass or overbridges are to be constructed and 50 metres at other locations where bus bays are to be built, it was pointed out.

“However, the officials informed us that status reports were being filed before the High Court every six weeks and we have to approach the court on the demand. Hence, we have decided to implead ourselves in the case [Trichy-Palpannai-Thuvakudi Service Road Meetpu Kootamaippu],” Mr. Rajkumar added.