COIMBATORE: With unseasonal summer showers lashing the city, a key stretch of road connecting KNG Pudur and Subramaniyampalayam has become non-motorable, leaving residents and commuters frustrated. The 3.7-km stretch, a crucial state highway linking the Thadagam-Anaikatti state highway road with the Nagapattinam-Gundlupet national highway (Mettupalayam Road), has turned into a muddy mess due to incomplete underground drainage (UGD) works.
The Tamil Nadu Water Supply and Drainage (TWAD) Board, executing the UGD works on behalf of the Coimbatore City Municipal Corporation (CCMC), has reportedly failed to properly restore the road surface after laying pipelines. The resulting sludge-filled stretch has not only brought traffic to a crawl but has also increased the risk of accidents. Residents say several minor mishaps have already been reported over the past week.
"This road is a lifeline connecting two major highways. Now it feels like we're driving through a marshland," said E Saravana Kumar, a regular commuter. "The rains have only worsened the situation."
Local residents and motorists sought immediate intervention from the authorities and are calling for better coordination between government agencies to avoid such chaos in the future. "Why can't the TWAD Board and the highways department work together? Every time one agency finishes the work, another starts digging again," said a resident.
Meanwhile, a senior CCMC official told TNIE that although road-laying works have been sanctioned for several areas in the city, the corporation cannot proceed until TWAD completes its work and issues a no-objection certificate (NOC). Until then, the stretch remains a symbol of poor planning and inter-agency disconnect — at the cost of public safety and convenience.
A senior TWAD Board official said all necessary steps would be taken to resolve the issue at the earliest. CCMC Commissioner M Sivaguru Prabakaran told TNIE, "A meeting has been scheduled with the TWAD Board officials to discuss water supply and UGD works across the city. In some of the added areas, pipelines installed under the AMRUT Scheme were left unattended for a long time and are being checked now. Regarding the road issues, I shall speak with the TWAD Board officials and address the problem soon."