TIRUCHY: Following a report that appeared in TNIE on October 20 about Venkatachapuram panchayat in Uppiliyapuram about the bad state of the roads to the public crematorium and the poor state of public toilets, repair works were taken up at both places.
The road leading to the public crematorium was riddled with potholes, making it hard for the hearse to pass, and families often had to carry their dead on their own halfway to the crematorium. The village's public health complex, which had several toilets that had not been cleaned for several weeks, was in a state of disrepair. N Periasamy, resident and local activist said,
"The problems were first taken to the concerned officers' attention but no action has been taken. However, once the issue was reported, The two issues have been fixed." Road in tatters, banners put up at Palayam Bazaar to highlight the plight and poor condition of the Palayam Bazaar Road due to the ongoing underground drainage work in the area has prompted residents to put up banners and posters to draw the city corporation’s attention.
The banners were erected on Thursday highlighting the plight of motorists and other civic issues such as dog menace. This comes a week after Mayor Mu Anbalagan along with senior officials visited the area to inspect the progress of the work. Residents, who also submitted a petition to the collector on Friday, said the drainage work is progressing but at a snail’s pace and think that the corporation should have started the work after the monsoon.
“The ongoing work has filled the area with dust, affecting the business of hotels and meat shops. People also avoid buying from shops in the area due to the poor condition of the road. Therefore, residents and merchants decided to put up the banners,” said SM Basha, who has a shop in the Palayam Bazaar Road. N Bala, a resident, said accidents have become common on the road but the civic body is not paying attention to the issues. “It is very difficult to commute even in two-wheelers.
The auto and other vehicles do not even enter our street due to the condition of the road. On Thursday, a woman on a two-wheeler met with an accident here. Fortunately, she and her child escaped with minor injuries. Apart from this, stormwater gets mixed with drainage during rain. The area is also affected by stray dog menace. But the corporation is not paying attention to this issue,” he said.
When contacted, senior corporation officials said they are trying to speed up the UGD work. “If everything goes well, we will be able to improve the condition of the Palayam Bazaar Road in a few days,” an official said. But, sources said rain will have an impact on the progress of the work in the coming days.