CHENNAI: PS Sivaswamy Salai in Mylapore, cordoned off since Wednesday, now faces a barrage of civic complaints. Sukumar, who runs a workshop in nearby Rangaiah Garden street, says it’s been a week since they received their supply of metro water. Although this was done to ensure that it doesn’t get mixed with sewage, he woes that every monsoon the people on his street face the same problem. He has lived there for over 50 years.
“The water level is as high as our hip. Commuting is difficult and this is a major bus route,” he says, adding that MTC buses like 29C and 21G travel along this area.
Last Wednesday, a leak in a metro water pipeline caused the soil to loosen at a section of the road near Vivekananda College causing the road to cave in. The incident happened around 11 am on November 25. A motorist and a car driver escaped without any injuries when the road suddenly caved in.
As of Monday, many streets got filled up with brief rain spells posing another hazard — open wires. “Kidswalk on this pavement. What if they get electrocuted?” asked another resident, pointing to the exposed wires from the electric poles on the narrow footpath that serves as the only walkable pathway from the inner streets to the main road.
Despite areas being cordoned off and work being carried out with JCB machines and a dozen workers stationed there, a few people still try to use the damaged road. On Monday morning, two trenches were dug on either side of the sinkhole to work on the drains. “We have to dig for five metres to connect the two drains so there is no leakage. We have already blocked the metro water line through that spot. There won’t be any contamination now,” says a corporation contract worker, pointing at the crevice which overflows with water.
“It will take at least a month to get done with this stretch,” he says, pointing to the newly dug trench around which rows of bikes and cycles are parked. “Only after this can we begin work on the caved-in area,” he adds.