The villagers from Tiruvarankulam, Thethampatti, Immampatti, Veppankudi, Manganampatti, Kallupallam, Kaikurichi and Vijayaragunathapuram approached the Pudukkottai district Collector Ganesh and told him that the land surveyed across 10 villages for the proposed four-lane road included several houses, agricultural lands and private pump-sets. 

If the proposed road is constructed according to the current plan, over 1,000 farmers would lose their lands and many others would lose their houses, they said, adding that the livelihood of the people there would be totally affected due to the construction of the road.

“Instead, the government could take the land that belonged to the Forest department close to the surveyed land. If the Forest land is utilised, people will not be affected at all,” the villagers said in their petition.  

The villagers also told the Collector that the Highways department officials had asked the people to vacate their houses within seven days. Further, they urged the Collector to divert the proposed four-lane road plan and instruct the Highways official not to disturb the people.