Rajapalayam Town Social Activists Federation has sought registration of cases against top officials of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) for the death of a man in a road accident on the Rajapalayam-Tenkasi highway on Friday.
Federation coordinators B. Mariappan and N.A. Ramachandra Raja have submitted a petition to Inspector of Police, Rajapalayam North Police station, stating that Muthukalai, 29, of Rajapalayam died in the accident on Friday and the poor condition of the road built by the NHAI was the reason for it.
The petitioners said the Rajapalayam Chamber of Commerce had threatened to go on a token strike on May 31 and June 1 against the failure of the NHAI officials to relay the 2-km stretch of the road which had been dug up to lay pipelines for underground drainage and drinking water projects.
However, the Revenue Divisional Officer of Sivakasi and other officials held a meeting on May 30 with the NHAI officials and the police where it was resolved that the temporary restoration of the road would be taken up immediately.
“Since the Project Director, NHAI, Nagercoil, and Regional Officer, NHAI, Madurai, had failed to take part in the peace meeting, the police had then suggested that the two top officials could be booked in case any fatal road accident occurred on the road,” said Mr. Mariappan. A resolution to that effect was passed at the meeting.
“Based on the resolution passed by the officials and local residents, we have petitioned the police to name the two NHAI officials for not repairing the stretch of the road, which has claimed one more life,” Mr. Mariappan said.