The Madras High Court has admitted a public interest litigation (PIL) challenging a government order (G.O.) that has withdrawn ₹15.47 crore allocated for creation of pedestrian crossings as part of the Avinashi Road flyover (G.D. Naidu flyover) in Coimbatore city.

K. Kathirmathiyon, secretary of the Coimbatore Consumer Cause, said in a press release that the First Bench of the Madras High Court admitted the PIL filed by the consumer body challenging a G.O. dated July 11, 2024, where the estimate for the Avinashi Road flyover was revised, deleting the pedestrian subway facilities that were originally approved for the project.

The Bench has directed the Tamil Nadu government to file its reply and has posted the matter for further hearing on June 30.

The PIL seeks restoration of the original approved plan and construction of pedestrian subways at the five identified locations - near KMCH Hospital, GRG School, PSG College, Krishnammal College and Lakshmi Mills Junction in Coimbatore city.

The original proposal that was sanctioned in 2020 at a cost of ₹1,621.30 crore included five pedestrian subways with an allocation of ₹15.47 crore exclusively for pedestrian safety. The proposal was approved by the Technical Audit Committee.

The Highways Department had proposed before the District Road Safety Committee that all five subways be deleted on the ground that the proposed Metro Rail project will include pedestrian facilities and that pelican signals will be adequate on the service roads of the 10-km flyover.

This proposal was opposed by Mr. Kathirmathiyon, who is a member of the District Road Safety Committee too. He pointed out that the original project had recognised the necessity for grade-separated pedestrian crossings as Coimbatore recorded high number of pedestrian fatalities due to inadequate crossing facilities.

The District Collector then called for a Special Road Safety Committee Meeting, attended by the Police Commissioner and the Corporation Commissioner too to discuss the issue and it directed that facilities should be created to ensure pedestrian safety and the crossings should be developed without deviations.

However, information obtained under the Right to Information Act subsequently revealed that the five subways were deleted from the revised estimate and that the entire ₹15.47 crore earmarked for pedestrian safety had been removed. At several locations, even the traffic signals were replaced with U-turns, making it extremely difficult for students, patients, senior citizens and children to cross the road safely.