CUDDALORE: Almost all the roads in Cuddalore district including National and State Highways, interior roads and causeways have got severely damaged in the heavy rain and flood. Even temporary patch work has not been of any help with the continuos downpour.
As a result, motorists, including volunteers bringing relief materials in vehicles, are forced to travel at a reduced speed on these roads. The stretch from Cuddalore New Town to Old Town is completely battered, thus making travel a horrendous experience.
The National Highways department had carried out patch work, but rainwater again damaged the road.
Similarly, there was huge erosion on the road between Sethiathope and Sethiathope cross road. This road comes under the Chennai-Kumbakonam Main Road that sees thousands of vehicles plying every day. Higher officials inspected the damage and arranged for temporary repair works and workers had done their best to do up the damaged part. However, it is again eroded. The police have put up barricades here for the safety of motorists.
Gurusamy from Sethiathope said “This eroded portion is dangerous for motorists, particularly during the night. They have repaired it but again it got damaged. Drivers have to be careful while passing through this spot.” The road from Sethiathope Cross-road to Bhuvanagiri is riddled with huge potholes. Many two-wheelers and small cars had got damaged because of this. Driving on Vriddhachalam-Thittagudi Road has also become tough due to the damage.
Rains apart, people of several villages had dug up the roads to enable stagnant rainwater drain quickly. Hence, volunteers travelling to interior villages had to take diversions. Also, many causeways were either washed away or damaged by the floods. People of Kottaikadu and five other villages have to take a detour of more than five kilometres to reach Pennadam, a nearby town, as the temporary causeway was washed away by flood from Vellar.