The incident of a cow slipping into a drain near the new bus stand on Saturday has brought to light the fact that roadside drains in several parts of the city are left open, posing dangers to pedestrians, motorists and even animals.
Pointing to an open drain near Town Hall, Karthikeyan, a passerby, said motorists have to pay more attention while taking a turn to enter the bus stand. “At least one person slips into the drain and gets injured every day,” said Ramachandran, a petty shop owner at the old bus stand. He also said since drains are open, people throw waste into them, which ultimately leads to the line getting clogged.
Many drains in the city require cement slab covers. While some drains were never covered after being built, at some points the slabs had collapsed.
“I am scared each time I cross the junction near Vellore South police station,” said Anbarasan, who said he had slipped into a pit twice.