TIRUCHY: Rainfall on Wednesday night came as a huge relief to residents who were struggling to cope with the searing summer heat. However, the rain has also worsened the condition of roads, which have been damaged owing to the ongoing underground drainage works. The rain, residents said, has once again stressed upon the need for quickly and properly repairing the damaged roads across the city.
“They have to properly check the level of the roads after laying the underground pipelines. The gravel left on the road after laying the pipelines is posing threat to two-wheeler riders, especially after rain. It was extremely difficult to commute through Melachathiram roads and several other interior roads in Thillai
Nagar. The Corporation should properly repair the roads after laying the pipelines,” said J Kunchithapatham of Thennur.
Residents of KK Nagar said the underground drainage works are going on at snail’s pace in their area and that contractors are leaving the roads as such after laying pipelines. The showers on Wednesday night have also worsened the condition of roads in Sundar Nagar, Pallavan Street, Indian Bank Colony, Jaya Nagar, and SMESC Colony.
Underground pipelines were laid in some areas about a year ago and authorities are yet to start any road repair work, some residents alleged. AL Natarajan of Indian Bank Colony 5th Street said, “They finished underground pipeline work in our area about a year ago. But the roads are in bad shape. They have not done proper levelling work in several areas. Riding through streets in Indian Bank Colony and other areas in KK Nagar is a nightmare after every shower. Though we had raised the issue with the contractor, he claimed he had not received funds for such works.”
With the Corporation likely to present its budget in the coming days, residents expressed hope that authorities would allocate more funds for improving roads. “We hope the budget gives priority to fixing roads. Even roads in front of MGMGH are in poor condition and it is difficult to commute during the rains. We hope the authorities allocate sufficient funds for repairing the roads,” said Muthuraja Chettiyar of Kumaran Nagar. Senior officials said that steps would be taken to improve the condition of the roads.