Namakkal: Residents of Kannimar Kadu and Malai Kadu near Pallipalayam in Namakkal district staged a blindfold protest on Thursday, accusing officials of failing to complete a long-pending tar road.More than 300 families which live under Agraharam Panchayat depend on the Kannimar Kadu route to reach the Sankari main road. A 500-foot stretch of the road is embroiled in a legal dispute, with one individual claiming ownership of the stretch. However, villagers insist it is a public pathway backed by documents and accused the individual of encroachment.“Although the panchayat recently laid a tar road after decades of demands, the disputed 500-foot portion remains unfinished. As a result, residents, motorists and college students continued to face hardship while using the route,” said M Madeswaran, a villager.Villagers added that they had already submitted petitions to the district collector Durga Murthy and concerned officials, despite which no action has been taken to complete the road. Condemning the delay, they covered their eyes with black cloth, crawled on the road and shouted slogans demanding that the stretch be tarred immediately.Locals also threatened to boycott the assembly election if their issue is not addressed.
