Stricter enforcement planned to restrict movement of heavy vehicles via Palpannai junction

The district authorities are planning stricter enforcement of the restriction on the movement of heavy vehicles through the Palpannai intersection on Chennai-Tiruchi-Madurai National Highway during the day.

With the junction witnessing severe traffic congestion right through the day, Collector V. Saravanan had recently announced restrictions on the movement of heavy vehicles operating via Tiruchi-Thanjavur National Highway. From January 1, heavy vehicles coming from Thanjavur highway were barred from entering the city via Palpannai junction between 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. The vehicles were required to go via Thuvakudi-Panjapur Bypass Road to enter the city.

All point-to-point service buses headed towards Thanjavur from Panjapur Integrated Bus Stand were also ordered to go via the bypass road to join Tiruchi-Thanjavur National Highway at Thuvakudi.

However, many heavy vehicles could be seen passing through the Palpannai intersection over the past few days. This despite police teams being deployed to enforce the diversions.

“We see quite a few heavy vehicles passing through the junction, though their numbers have definitely come down. There has been some relief at the junction but the traffic pile ups continue at the intersection during peak hours,” observed Raja, an auto rickshaw driver.

Police personnel on duty along the Thanjavur highway point out that the stretch is an industrial zone, with a large number of trucks engaged in moving raw materials and finished products. There is every chance of truckers operating to and from the industrial units situated between Thuvakudi and Palpannai sneaking in to avoid taking a detour. Many vehicles transport goods to the wholesale markets around the Gandhi Market. It is difficult to monitor all these vehicles, they observed.

This apart, Tiruchi Corporation’s garbage trucks also make several trips on the route transporting solid waste to the dump yard at Ariyamangalam, it was pointed out.

Mr. Saravanan, however, felt that there has been a good reduction in the number of vehicles passing through the junction from Thanjavur highway towards the city. “On an average, about 50 vehicles are being diverted per hour. Tighter enforcement towards Thanjavur Highway from the city is planned from tomorrow,” he told The Hindu.

Some of the residents have been pressing for widening the roads at Palpannai junction to ease the traffic flow on the “free-lefts.” “Heavy vehicles only form a certain percentage of the traffic. Widening the roads on all four-sides at the Palpannai junction would ease the situation considerably. If the vehicles were able to take the free-left without any obstruction, the traffic pile-ups could be reduced. There is a lot of space on the sides and the roads could be easily widened without any land acquisition,” said K. Sakthivel, a civic activist of Kattur.

Mr. Saravanan said the ‘free-left issue’ would be resolved soon.