Residents block highway seeking underpass at Sanjeevi Nagar

Trichy: Residents of Sanjeevi Nagar in Trichy city staged a road blockade on Thursday, protesting frequent accidents along the Trichy–Chennai national highway (NH) passing through the area. They demanded a vehicular underpass (VuP) to ensure safe access to residential settlements on both sides of the busy stretch.Protesters said the traffic signal at the junction has failed to improve safety, with pedestrians, cyclists, and two-wheeler riders often hit by speeding vehicles. Several fatal and non-fatal accidents have been reported, they claimed. A VuP at Sanjeevi Nagar, proposed by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) five years ago at a cost of Rs50 crore, is still awaiting approval. The project, which requires no land acquisition, was meant to benefit residents of Sanjeevi Nagar, ARK Nagar, Sarkarpalayam, and Mullaikudi. Even on Thursday, a minor collision between two cargo vehicles occurred at the junction. Residents, joined by AMMK cadres, alleged that trucks frequently jump signals and that the existing traffic lights have done little to prevent accidents. Officials said the VuP plan has been delayed due to technical constraints, as the junction lies between the Cauvery riverbank at Srirangam and a railway overbridge at Palpannai, limiting space for approach roads. Trichy Fort police later reached the spot and pacified the protesters, assuring them that their demands would be conveyed to the authorities concerned.