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Villagers’ protest disrupts traffic on Chennai-Tiruchi highway as NHAI begins repairs on Cauvery bridge
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Temporary plastic bollards have been installed to demarcate the carriageway for two-way traffic between Sanjveevi Nagar Junction and Kondayampettai in Tiruchi as NHAI has taken up repair of old Cauvery bridge on Tiruchi-Chennai National Highway. | VENGADESH A road blockade by irate villagers near Sanjeevi Nagar in the wake of the closure of the old Cauvery bridge brought traffic to a standstill on the busy Chennai-Tiruchi-Madurai National Highway and parts of the city for over two hours on Saturday forenoon.Residents of Sarkarpalayam and other villages along the Cauvery banks resorted to agitation against the closure of an access way to their villages from the Sanjeevi Nagar Junction even as the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) began repair work on the old Cauvery bridge, built in 1963. The bridge was closed for traffic on June 25.“With the closure of the access route via Sanjeevi Nagar junction, we have been forced to take a detour up to Palpannai, much to the hardship of school, college students and office goers,” said one of the protesters.The villagers pressed their long-pending demand for the construction of a vehicular underpass across the highway at Sanjeevi Nagar Junction. Although the NHAI has floated a tender, the work is yet to begin.The protest, which began around 9 a.m., choked traffic on the national highway and around Chinthamani, Srirangam, and Cauvery bridge in the city. As traffic piled up on either sides of the highways, senior Revenue and police officials held talks with the protesters. But as the protesters refused to disperse, the police took a section of them into custody and removed the others from the spot, clearing the highway for traffic.Abrupt closureThe rather abrupt closure of the Cauvery bridge on one of the two carriageways on the busy national highway has drawn the ire of motorists and road safety activists too. Neither the NHAI nor the district administration came out with a formal announcement on the closure of the bridge and the alternative arrangements made, they said.As the bridge caters to traffic on one direction (Tiruchi-Chennai), traffic has been diverted through the bridge on the other carriageway. Temporary bollards have been installed to demarcate the carriageway for two-way traffic between Sanjveevi Nagar Junction and Kondayampettai. Yet, traffic has come to a crawl with motorists complaining that it took at least 25-30 minutes to cross over this nearly two-km long stretch of the highway.While NHAI sources said the repairs on the bridge would be completed within three months, activists are wary of possible delays such as the monsoon and water flow in the river. They point out that the repairs taken up on the overbridge near Golden Rock a couple of years ago had dragged on for several months.NHAI sources said that the repair was planned much earlier but was delayed due to the intervening Assembly election. The bridge, built 63 years ago, needed urgent repairs which could no longer be postponed. The repairs, taken up at an estimate of nearly ₹10 crore, would involve replacing 120 bearings and the expansion joints on the structure, the sources said.“There seems to be a lack of proper planning; better arrangements could have been made to divert traffic at various places on the highway. Already, the Palpannai junction is facing a severe congestion,” said Shivasankar Sekaran, a resident of Palpannai. However, he appreciated the city police for deploying a posse of police personnel to regulate traffic on the stretch and hoped it would continue.“Traffic in several parts of the city have been affected due to the on going construction of overbridges near the Town and Fort railway stations,” pointed out P. Ayyarappan, a road safety activist calling for better planning in infrastructure development and the expeditious construction of the semi-ring roads around the city. Published - June 27, 2026 06:19 pm IST
This satellite image from Planet Labs PBC shows the Ras Laffan industrial area in Qatar on March 6, 2026. | “Qatari authorities have confirmed that 12 Indian nationals have unfortunately passed away in the Ras Laffan incident yesterday night,” the Indian Embassy in Doha said in a post on X.Citing Qatari authorities, it said that all injured are in stable condition and are receiving appropriate medical treatment.“Our Embassy is working in close contact with the Qatari authorities to extend all possible help to the Indian nationals and their families affected by this incident, including ensuring that mortal remains of the deceased are sent to India at the earliest,” it added.Earlier, during a press briefing on Monday (June 22, 2026), the Gulf country’s energy minister Saad bin Shreida Al-Kaabi confirmed that 13 people of Indian and Pakistani origins have died in the incident.The Embassy of India in Doha said it is in constant touch with Qatari authorities and will render all help to the families of those who have lost their lives or have been injured.Earlier, the Embassy of India expressed “deep concern at the unfortunate incident”, in which several people got injured, and some are missing.“At this challenging and difficult time, the Embassy of India and the entire Indian community in Qatar stands in solidarity with the Government and people of Qatar. We wish for the speedy recovery of those injured and hope and pray for the safety of those missing,” it said.In a separate statement, the Ministry of Interior said that the incident was caused by a “technical malfunction” during operations, resulting in the deaths of 13 people and injuries to 66 others of various nationalities.It said security authorities immediately responded to the accident in coordination with emergency response teams in Ras Laffan, implementing approved emergency procedures at the site.The injured were transferred to medical facilities to receive treatment, while search and response operations at the scene were completed.Authorities are continuing investigations to determine the exact technical causes of the accident and to establish all circumstances surrounding the incident, it said.The ministry also said that no leaks were detected as a result of the accident and that there is no threat to public safety or the surrounding environment.Earlier, QatarEnergy said the incident occurred during the start-up of operations, which resulted in an explosion and fire at the Barzan local gas supply facility on Sunday evening. Published - June 22, 2026 08:19 pm IST
At least three people were injured in a clash between Kuki protesters enforcing a highway shutdown and security personnel in Manipur’s Kangpokpi district on Monday (June 22, 2026).Kuki civil society organisations had called the shutdown on National Highway 37 on Sunday (June 22, 2026) to protest “selective security operations” allegedly targeting villages inhabited by the Kuki-Zo people.Several groups of protesters converged in the New Keithelmanbi stretch of the highway in the morning to restrict vehicular movement and demand the withdrawal of the ongoing security operations. The highway connects Manipur’s capital Imphal with Jiribam on the State’s border with Assam.The situation escalated after the security personnel used crowd-control measures, including smoke bombs and baton charges. At least three protestors were injured in the ensuing melee. The local unit of the Kuki Inpi, an apex community organisation, condemned the “aggressive and forceful dispersal of peaceful protesters” with “tear gas shells, blank ammunition, and batons”.Criticising the authorities for failing to address public concerns, the Kuki Inpi unit blamed the ongoing ethnic tensions on two Naga armed groups — the National Socialist Council of Nagalim and the Kamson faction of the Zeliangrong United Front.Blockade liftedLater in the day, the Committee on Tribal Unity announced the withdrawal of its blockade on NH 2 (Kohima-Imphal connector) and NH 37 following an understanding with the government.The organisation, representing the Kuki-Zo group of communities, said the blockade was lifted in the interest of public safety and peace after assurances from the Kangpokpi Superintendent of Police that essential commodities would be transported safely to Kuki-Zo villages.Meanwhile, a group of women activists in Imphal submitted a memorandum to Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla, demanding the “immediate and unconditional release” of four members of the radical Arambai Tenggol.These four were among 10 people arrested on June 19 by the National Investigation Agency in six different cases of ethnic violence in Manipur.“The Arambai Tenggol is not an armed group but a socio-cultural organisation formed to preserve and protect the identity of the Meitei community,” Thokchom Chandrasakhi Devi, one of the activists, told journalists after submitting the memorandum to the office of the Governor. Published - June 22, 2026 10:27 pm IST
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