VELLORE: Residents of Chinna Allapuram urged the Corporation to finish constructing the drainage channel that has been left incomplete for the last six months claiming the reason to be of political nature.
People with ‘political influence’ in the locality are delaying the project ensuring it remains incomplete for no reason. Residents are perplexed as to why anyone would object to the drainage work being completed.
Residents have been petitioning the Corporation and staging protests demanding better roads and drainage facilities for several years. The current protest is, however, in greater earnest after Monishraj (12), son of Gopalakrishnan, was mowed down by a tractor and died on June 23. Residents claim that poor roads and delays in laying roads was in large measure the reason for the school boy losing his life.
Residents are also claiming there are encroachments in Chinna Allapuram which they said should be cleared before beginning the work on the drainage channel and the laying of roads. The local body’s senior engineering officials, however, are claiming that there are no encroachments in the area and that work on restoring basic amenities will begin soon.
“First we need the drainage channel in our area. Due to absence of sanitation, our area is under serious risk and the local body has to resume the work immediately. Six months ago, they dug up the roadside to construct a drainage channel, but left it incomplete for no reason,” said a resident of Chinna Allapuram. On Wednesday, Mayor P Karthiyayini and Corporation Commissioner Janaki Raveendran inspected the area.