COIMBATORE: The Kuniyamuthur Road, which is a major highway used by people travelling towards Kerala, has been in a dilapidated condition for several months now.
Sources said the highways department is unable to fix or re-lay the road due to a delay in the completion of underground drainage work by the Tamil Nadu Water Supply and Drainage (TWAD) Board, which is executing the project for the Coimbatore City Municipal Corporation (CCMC),Work on the UGD project in the Kurichi- Kuniyamuthur area started several years ago but is still not complete.
A major portion of the Kuniyamuthur Road was dug up for the work but has not been fixed. As a result, the stretch has turned into a dust bowl and motorists find it difficult to travel on it.
People from Kuniyamuthur and Madukkarai said officials must repair or pave a new road at the earliest.
A senior official from the State Highways Department in Coimbatore Division told TNIE that TWAD Board is yet to complete pipeline installation work in the stretch because of which they are unable to carry out repairs or lay a new road. Only one of the sides is in a motorable condition as it has been paved.
Speaking to TNIE, Coimbatore Division Chief Engineer K Sellamuthu said, “We’ve completed a majority of work on the Kuniyamuthur Road. Only around 300 metres of work is pending in the stretch. We’ve submitted a letter to traffic police to suspend the vehicle movement and close the roadtoo expedite our work. If traffic is diverted and police close the stretch from 10 pm to 6 am, we shall complete the work soon.”
When inquired, a senior police official said they are yet to receive a formal request from TWAD Board for suspending traffic on Kuniyamuthur Road during the night time. With officials playing the blame game, motorists continue to suffer.