TN polls: Road woes spark blindfold protest in Namakkal villages

Namakkal (Tamil Nadu): Residents of Kannimar Kadu and Malaikadu villages in Namakkal district staged a unique protest on Friday, wearing blindfolds to highlight the lack of proper road infrastructure in their area. The villagers have also warned of boycotting the upcoming assembly elections if their long-pending demand for a complete tar road is not addressed.

According to the residents, the road issue has persisted for more than 60 years. Although the panchayat administration recently laid a tar road in the area, a stretch of about 250 feet remains incomplete, causing significant difficulties for commuters.

“We villagers have decided to boycott the assembly polls. The reason is that, for about 1.5 km, the roads connecting Kannimar Kaadu and Malaikaadu villages do not have proper road facilities. For a stretch of about 250 feet, the road has not been tarred. A group of people are interrupting the road construction claiming that it belongs to them, without any documents of proof. We have all the necessary proofs for it,” claimed a villager, who was also protesting.

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Residents alleged that despite submitting petitions to the District Collector, the Chief Minister’s cell, and other concerned department officials, no concrete action has been taken so far.

“We have approached many government officials, too, yet the tar road has not been laid. We have been doing multiple levels of protest against this for many years, yet no solution has arrived,” he added.

Around 300 families reside in Kannimar Kadu and Malaikadu villages. As part of their protest, villagers walked blindfolded along the muddy stretch to demonstrate the hardships they face daily.

Raising slogans such as “We cannot see the tar road!” and “We will boycott the elections!”, the residents urged authorities to immediately complete the remaining portion of the road.