CHENNAI: The drawn-out metro pipeline work in Angappa Naicken Street, one of the busiest streets in George Town, has been distressing the shop owners and pedestrians in the area.
The Chennai Metro Water Supply and Sewerage Board (CMWSSB) has dug up roads in the area to replace old sewage pipelines. This narrow and busy street in George Town is home to hundreds of shops, and so thousands of customers throng the street daily.
The locale’s residents alleged that the pipeline work is getting delayed and reportedly no work has been taken up in the last few days.
According to Sathik Ali, a shop owner in the street, the unorganised manner in which the work is being carried out has been inconveniencing commuters and pedestrians alike.
“The pipeline work had been pending for a few months. Ever since the work started a few days ago, it is not being done in an organised manner. In one particular stretch, the roads were dug up before even bringing the pipelines, and the earthmover was left unattended for several days,” he added.
The residents want the pending work to be expedited and all the dug-up roads to be relaid. “There are several schools in and around George Town and many children walk to their schools. The poor condition of the bumpy road makes it prone to accidents. The corporation should start relaying the roads at the earliest,” said Savitha K, a resident of Mannady.
However, the metro officials denied the allegations and said no work was being delayed on their part. “Even though the work was sanctioned much earlier, it was started only a few weeks ago. The work was halted only in two stretches due to a mismatch in pipelines brought to the spot. The pending work will be completed at the earliest and roads will be relaid once the corporation receives a no objection certificate,” an official with the metro board told TNIE.