“Lay road, seek votes”: Sundapur villagers in Bargur Hills demand connectivity

A banner bearing the message, “Lay road, seek votes”, displayed at the entrance of Sundapur village in the Bargur Hills underscores the residents’ long-pending demand for a motorable road.

For generations, villagers have struggled with a six-kilometre stretch of the gravel-protruding road, with their basic need for all-weather connectivity remaining unmet.

Home to over 150 Lingayat families, Sundapur largely depends on small landholdings for subsistence, while several residents travel to the plains for work. Located about 6 km from the Thamaraikarai–Bargur Road, the village can be accessed only by traversing a 3-km forest track through the Thamaraikarai Reserve Forest in the Bargur Range, followed by another 3-km stretch under the Bargur panchayat in Anthiyur Union. It falls under the Anthiyur Assembly constituency.

Except for a one-km tar road laid by the panchayat several years ago, the remaining 5 km is in a dilapidated condition, making commuting arduous. “Only gravel protrudes, and crossing the forest stretch is a nightmare,” said P. Bomman, a resident. He added that emergency services remain inaccessible. “108 ambulances cannot reach the village. Pregnant women and patients are carried in cloth cradles to the main road, from where they are taken to hospitals. We have sought only a motorable road for years, but our petitions and protests have not yielded results,” he said.

Residents said the situation worsens during the rainy season, when loose gravel becomes slippery, rendering even walking hazardous. “That is why we have decided to boycott the election to press for our sole demand,” said Moorthy, another resident. Basic supplies, including LPG cylinders and essential commodities, are still transported as headloads, reflecting the lack of infrastructure, he added.

A road project was sanctioned under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) Phase III (2020–21, Batch I) at an estimated cost of ₹2.82 crore. In 2021, a contractor was issued a work order to lay a 3-metre-wide road for 3 km through the forest, construct 11 culverts, and build six retaining walls. However, the contract was later cancelled.

Subsequently, permission was sought from forest authorities to widen the road to six metres. In a communication dated March 10, 2022, the then District Forest Officer (DFO), Erode Division, noted that the proposed stretch passed through reserve forest land, where the available right of way was only 2.74 metres, as against the requested six metres.

The officer also observed that permission under Section 3(2) of the Forest Rights Act, 2006, could be granted only if the diverted land benefited tribal communities. “The proposed approach road does not serve a tribal settlement,” the letter stated, declining approval.

Authorities suggested that forest clearance could instead be sought under Section 2 of the Forest Conservation Act, 1980. While about 18,000 sq. m. is required for the project, only 8,100 sq. m. is available. To address this, 10,000 sq. m. of compensatory land has been identified and an application submitted online. The Centre has granted in-principle approval for diversion of 1.494 hectares of forest land, and final clearance is awaited.

V.P. Gunasekaran of the Tamil Nadu Tribal Peoples’ Association said the concerns of marginalised residents remain unaddressed. “Their only demand must be fulfilled,” he said. The village has 334 electors.