TIRUCHY: With the northeast monsoon intensifying, the city corporation might miss the December deadline to complete the underground drainage (UGD) project for a fifth time, fear residents. The project to lay an underground drainage pipeline was started in 2019 to complete the works by 2021.
However, the deadline was set to December 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and later postponed three times - in April, May and July corporation meetings. The latest deadline set by the corporation for the completion of the UGD project is December 2023.
"It seems that the corporation was often looking for a reason to change the deadline of the UGD project. The initial change in deadline was due to the pandemic. But what were the reasons for pushing the deadline further in meetings held in April, May and July? I don't know how they would continue the work if the city receives heavy rain in the coming days," said Balakrishnan Perumal, a resident.
"We cannot blame them if they change the deadline for the fifth time due to weather conditions. Since they have completed the works in most of the areas, we hope that they can avoid changing the deadline for the sixth time," said T Mukesh Kumar, a Crawford resident.
When contacted, corporation officials said the rain has not affected the works so far. "Of the 858 km, the work is pending in only 40 km stretch. In the Cantonment area, despite the rocky terrain, the work is progressing fast. We are trying our best to finish the work in the remaining areas by December," a senior official said. However, multiple sources admitted that the rain could spoil these calculations.