Come dusk, workers flock to NH for a risky ride home

EVERY evening, the Tiruchy-Madurai National Highway turns into a dangerous waiting zone for scores of construction workers, who line up at key junctions like Palpannai, TVS Tollgate, and Mannarpuram, desperately waving at passing trucks and private vehicles to hitch a ride back home.

- P THIRUSELVAM @Tiruchy

Their journey back to remote villages in Tiruchy and Pudukkottai districts is marred by unreliable public transport and poor rural connectivity, forcing them into daily risks just to return home after a hard day's work.

Despite being part of a workforce of over 2,000 daily wage labourers from villages such as Valanadu, Valanadu Kaikatti, Vembanur, Thenur, Idayapatti, Kovilpatti (in Marungapuri block), and Kodumbalur, Thennambadi, and Poyyamani (in Viralimalai block), only about 500 face this ordeal every evening.

While some manage to return home by afternoon using available services, the rest are left stranded after 7 pm, resorting to flagging down lorries and load vehicles.