COIMBATORE: The Coimbatore City Municipal Corporation (CCMC) has been carrying out stormwater drain works without carrying out any safety measures. The roadsides which have been dug by the officials have been left without any barricades, posing a threat to motorists. The public has raised concerns over the issue.
The CCMC started the reconstruction of the stormwater channel on Brooke Bond Road (Krishnaswamy Road) in Ward 69 of the central zone of the city in October last year.
The project is set to be carried out at an estimated cost of Rs 2.17 crore that was received by the civic body under the CGF (Capital Grants Funds) scheme.
As part of the project, officials started demolishing the retaining walls alongside the stormwater channel on the road, desilted the channel and built footpaths on top of it. The work is set to be completed in the next two to three months.
For the reconstruction of the channel, the officials have been building concrete walls at a width of 6 feet and for a length of 465 metres on the Krishnaswamy Road, starting from the Kamarajapuram area to the Indian Oil petrol pumping station. The CCMC shall also be desilting the channel completely as part of the project.
After desilting the drain and constructing the channel walls, the CCMC will be setting up a pedestrian footpath above the drain.
As per the plan, the officials have begun the works near the roundabout of the Kikani School-Brooke Bond Road junction. However, the officials have not installed any safety barricades after demolishing the retaining walls of the stormwater channel on one side of the road.
The lack of safety barriers has been posing a huge threat to motorists. The public and social activists have demanded the civic body take necessary action to ensure the safety of the motorists.
A CCMC official told TNIE, “Currently, a couple of barricades have been installed and a rope has been tied at the place. We shall be installing furthermore safety barriers at the spot soon once we receive them. The contractor has been alerted about the matter and instructed to put safety barricades or cloth in place.”