Palar flow submerges causeway; villagers hit

VANIYAMBADI: The heavy flow in Palar River due to incessant rains in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh has submerged the ground-level causeway (GLC) at Pachakuppam near Ambur on Tuesday and officials as a precautionary measure have restricted vehicle and pedestrian movement through the facility. Police have also been posted on both the sides of causeway.

Due to the closure of the causeway, around 10 villages, including Melpatti, lost easy access to Ambur town located 8 km from Pachakuppam. Locals have been forced to take a 10 km detour to reach Ambur through the bridge at Devalapuram across the Palar.

Meanwhile, Vaniyambadi locals were peeved that a promise to set right the ghat road from the town connecting Bharatinagar 12 km away, has not been repaired even after Ministers promised to complete the work soon. The road damaged in the rains 8 months ago was inspected by PWD and Highways Minister along with officials, who put up a temporary road and promised to lay a tar road at the earliest.

As this was not done, the road has now become a nightmare for motorists proceeding to AP via the border villages of Madakadapa and Velathigamanipenda, 19 km and 17 km respectively from Vaniyambadi.

Meanwhile, residents of Madanur were irked that though highways officials were regularly visiting the temporary causeway put up across the Palar at Ulli no remedial measure has been initiated. “There is every chance of this causeway also getting washed away as the inflow in the river continues to increase and when locals contacted the village panchayat head, he expressed helplessness,” said G Srikant of Ulli village on the Vellore district side.

“If the causeway is washed away, it will be the third time and such a disaster will force Ulli residents to take a detour of 25 km to reach Madanur,” he added.

The flow in the Palar has been steadily increasing due to continuous rains in the last five days at various locations in Andhra Pradesh bordering TN and also in and around Vaniyambadi.

Devotees were asked to avoid visiting a temple near the Pillur check dam where there was significant flow.