COIMBATORE: Several vehicles got stuck on the damaged Church Road in Podanur-Chettipalayam stretch due to the ongoing UGD pipeline installation works that are being carried out by the TWAD board on behalf of the civic body.
TWAD board, on behalf of Coimbatore City Municipal Corporation (CCMC), has been implementing the Kurichi - Kuniyamuthur Underground Drainage (UGD) project for the past few years. As the TWAD board officials have finally finished the works on the Podanur Main Road from the Kurichi Pirivu Junction to the Podanur Railway Station, they’ve moved on to the next 400-metre stretch of the Church Road from Podanur Railway Station to the Railway Community Centre near the flyover. As the road is very narrow and a two-lane path, the traffic congestion on the stretch has increased drastically.
BV Faisal Khan, a resident from Podanur told TNIE, “The Church Road is used by people to pick up and drop their wards at schools in the evening. In this situation, the recent UGD works carried out by the officials on the stretch have created difficulties for motorists and school students. They are struggling with the dust and slush from the works. Several vehicles got stuck in the slush which resulted in a traffic jam. The officials must carry out the work at night without disrupting the traffic and fix the road immediately.”
Speaking to TNIE, a TWAD board official of the Kurichi - Kuniyamuthu UGD Division said, “An auto-rickshaw got stuck on the road on Sunday and it was immediately pulled out. In order to prevent dust from the digging works, we have started sprinkling water through tanker trucks.
As the road is narrow, we couldn’t work throughout the day. So, we’ve asked the police department’s help to completely close the stretch for the UGD works by providing an alternate route for the vehicles. Once the road is closed, we shall work day and night and finish off all the work within 15 to 30 days.”
The official also added that the amount needed to repair and pave a new road on the stretch has already been paid to the State Highways (SH) Department fully as the road is in their control. Once the UGD works are finished, the SH officials will begin laying the road.