The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Residents stage road roko in Ambur

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Aug 14, 2007
ePaper

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Residents stage road roko in Ambur

Staff Reporter

Protest against lack of approach road to schools, colleges

PROTEST: Residents staging a road roko on the Chennai-Bangalore National Highway in Ambur on Monday

AMBUR: Scores of residents from the Natarajapuram and Bethlehem areas in Ambur, headed by local AIADMK and Congress workers, including councillors, staged a 90-minute road roko on the national highways expressing their sympathy over the death of a eight-year-old schoolgirl who was run over by a train while crossing the railway track here on Monday.

The protestors, in course of time, gathered in large numbers and staged a road roko at different points including near the Ambur town bus terminus, Hindu Higher Secondary School and Rajiv Gandhi Statue on the bypass. As a result, traffic on both sides of the national highways came to a standstill. Vellore District Superintendent of Police N. Arivuselvam rushed to the spot to bring the situation under control. A cross-section of residents said that the Police Department had constructed housing quarters for their staff in an area, which connected Natarajapuram with Bethlehem in Ambur. Over 750 families resided at Natarajapuram.

Students from this area had to go to Bethlehem for schools and colleges. For more than 50 years, residents of Natarajapuram used the approach route to Bethlehem where the police quarters had been built.

But the Police Department had acquired the approach route for construction of a staff quarters. Hence, the normal approach route was blocked. Even some of the school and college going students had staged a protest in front of the Ambur Municipality a fortnight back stating that they wanted an alternative approach pathway to reach BethleheSm. The students risked their lives as had to cross the railway track to reach Bethlehem. Even Vaniyambadi MLA Abdul Basith had assured that he would recommend providing an alternate approach for the convenience of students. But nothing worked.

Enquiries with some of the college students revealed that even Ambur Municipal Commissioner T. Sundaram and some of the councillors had assured to consider their representations. But nothing worked in practical terms. Even the current SP, after assuming office, inspected the newly constructed quarters and assured to do the needful.

It was under these circumstances on Monday morning, Danapriya (8) studying III Standard, was run over by a train while trying to cross the railway track to reach her school in Bethlehem. The residents gave up the road roko after an oral assurance from Vellore District Collector Dharmendra Pratap Yadav that action would be taken to provide an alternate approach to Bethlehem.

The SP, after a detailed discussion with the protestors, had assured that action would be taken to provide two-and-a-half feet width approach path from behind the police quarters. Action would be based on the report from the municipal surveyor.

FIR against teachers

Meanwhile, the Ambur Police filed a First Information Report (FIR) against four teachers who brought in children from one of the private schools in Bethlehem to take part in the road roko. The body of the student was handed over to her parents after a post-mortem at the Ambur General Hospital.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail