Tirunelveli Corporation Deputy Mayor K.R. Raju receiving a petition from a public during the grievance day meeting held on Tuesday.

| Photo Credit: A. SHAIKMOHIDEEN

Residents urged Corporation to create traffic island at busy Jeba Garden Junction in NGC Colony as this officious point often witnesses traffic jam and even accidents due to unregulated movement of vehicles including buses.The petition submitted by the members of ‘Namathu Nellai Iyakkam’ said the Jeba Garden Junction connects four important and busy roads – Sarah Tucker College Road, RTO Office Road, Reddiyarpatti Road and Pothigai Nagar – and was being used by more than 50,000 people a day to reach their places of work and the educational institutions. Due to lack of traffic island at this spot, this junction witnesses traffic snarl everyday, especially in the morning and the evening and even accidents at times. Even though a police patrol vehicle has been parked at this point, there is no much of help for the public, especially the senior citizens, to cross this junction during peak hours.Since the Jeba Garden Junction has sufficient space for creating a traffic island at this point, the Corporation should form this structure to avert accidents and traffic jam, the petition said.“When a petition was submitted with the Corporation under the Right To Information Act, the Corporation replied that the proposed structure would require ₹75 lakh to ₹1 crore for creating traffic island at Jeba Garden Junction. If this amount was released from Road Safety Fund, the structure would be created, the RTI reply said. Hence, the Corporation administration should take steps for getting funds from the government or private sponsors for constructing traffic island at Jeba Garden Junction,” the petition said.DMK councillor Seetha of ward 39 submitted a petition in protest against most of the 34 sanitary workers allotted for her ward to the top officials’ residences for cleaning operations. She said the ‘mass allocation’ of sanitary workers to the houses of top officials had badly affected the cleaning of garbage in her ward.“If this trend is continued, I’ll stage sit-in protest in the Corporation,” Ms. Seetha warned.On behalf of Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam, T. Mari Selvam of Tirunelveli Town submitted a petition seeking the repairing of the badly damaged road along Periyasamy Temple Street in ward 16.Members of ‘Thamarai Makkal Nala Sangam’ urged the Corporation to install powerful lights in the electric poles in Selva Vignesh Nagar in ward 1. “Since the movement of poisonous reptiles along the streets and the adjoining park is on the rise after dusk, the Corporation should install brighter lights in the electric poles,” said the petitioners.Resident R. Pitchaiah of Kamaraj Nagar in ward 7 submitted a petition complaining about the unbearable stench allegedly emanating from the Corporation’s micro compost centre in the midst of houses. “The Corporation should either take immediate and credible steps to maintain the micro compost centre properly and contain the foul odour. Or, the urban civic body should shift this unit to the outskirts of Palayamkottai,” Mr. Pitchaiah said.Accusing the Corporation of attempting to lay road along the private patta land, K.R. Kalyanasundaram of Vannarpet submitted a petition. He said the Corporation, which was laying 21-feet-wide road from the North Bypass Road in Vannarpet had dug his adjoining land having patta in his name also for laying the road. Moreover, the Corporation officials, using earthmovers, have taken away the sand heaped on this land for construction purpose.“Since I have got all the documents of this land in my name, the Corporation should stop the road laying work along my land. Besides returning the sand taken away from the land, the Corporation should refill the portion dug for road laying work,” Mr. Kalyana Vinayagam said.Residents of Krishnaperi under ward 16 submitted a petition appealing to the Corporation to catch the stray dogs that were hunting down their goats and sheep and bite the children.(OUR PHOTOGRAPHER HAS SENT A PIX FOR THIS STORY)MATTER ENDSPAJS Published - June 09, 2026 07:44 pm IST