TIRUCHY: The rain that lashed the city on Thursday night has worsened the plight of road users, who were already affected by the appalling state of the roads owing to the underground drainage (UGD) works. Vehicles got stuck in sludge on some interior roads and residents had a tough time manoeuvring through the places on Friday.
Though the corporation team was seen taking efforts to blacktop main roads like Puthur Road on Friday, residents said the authorities should take serious efforts to improve the condition of all the roads before the monsoon.
"Though we cannot completely blame the current administration for the situation, they should take steps to speed up blacktopping works. Otherwise, residents will struggle to move around during the monsoon," R Srinivasan, a motorist commuting through the badly-damaged Thennur Road, said.
The rain also worsened the plight of residents staying in prime locations like Thillai Nagar. An autorickshaw was also found stuck in the mud in 11th cross of Thillai Nagar.
"The authorities started underground drainage work in our area last month. In several areas, the soil left on the roadside got mixed with stormwater and made the road very slippery. Some two-wheeler riders met with mishaps, and an autorickshaw got stuck in the sludge. The corporation should direct its team to inspect the roads in all areas and take steps to improve their condition before the rains arrive," BR Raja, a resident of Thillai Nagar, said.
Some residents suggested that the corporation consider suspending the underground drainage works and resume it after the monsoon. "They can consider conducting some temporary work on the damaged roads. The corporation should focus on improving the condition of the roads right now," S Murugesan of Srinivasan Nagar said.
With the corporation team working to finish the blacktopping work on some of the major roads by this month, the rain has added more pressure to complete the work fast.
"We have not faced heavy waterlogging at any place but some of the roads that got damaged due to underground drainage work became slippery. We are trying our best to improve transportation condition in more areas. If the roads sustained heavy damage, we will carry out repair works to ensure safe commuting," a senior corporation official said.