DINDIGUL: Tourists and residents are in distress as the damaged footpaths around Kodaikanal Lake pose a challenge for pedestrians, with broken pavement slabs inviting danger. The use of poor-quality materials for the construction of slabs and floors around the lake has led to the present situation, they alleged.
According to sources, the renovation and construction of pathways at Bryant Park and Kodaikanal Lake areas was carried out at a cost of Rs 24 crore, as a single project, over the past two years. As per the tender floated, the construction work of the pathways was to be completed using high-quality granite and concrete, they said.
Speaking to TNIE, Karthik, a resident, said, "Concrete slabs are either missing or lying damaged on the footpaths along the fence of the Kodaikanal Lake in many places. Any tourist who scans the stretch can spot at least six such danger zones, posing a threat to pedestrians. We believe that the concrete used was mixed with M-sand or was of poor quality. As a result, slabs were broken under the weight of the pedestrians. Besides, many fences remain broken due to the lack of grips on the floors."
When contacted by TNIE, Kodaikanal Municipality Chairman P Chelladurai denied the use of substandard construction materials and said, "Renovation and construction of pathways were conducted in a phased manner along the Bryant Park and Kodaikanal Lake areas over the past two years. Only a few more portions are pending and these will be completed at the earliest. However, the damaged pathways were not made of substandard materials. The works are incomplete as construction workers went for holidays. The local media are falsely raising the issue."