COIMBATORE: Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s scheduled visit to campaign for the BJP on Monday has jolted the Coimbatore City Municipal Corporation (CCMC) into action.
On the eve of Modi’s road show, civic body workers were seen cleaning the roads, repairing the street lights and removing the garbage and mud from the Mettupalayam Road to RS Puram.
The Nagapattinam-Coimbatore-Gundlupete National Highways (NH 181), popularly called the Mettupalayam Road in Coimbatore, remains busy throughout the day. Despite its significance, the road is not properly maintained. Heaps of mud and garbage could be often seen on both sides of the road. Several two-wheelers tend to slip while running on the accumulated mud on the road sides.
Despite mishaps and complaints from the people, the civic body failed to take action. However, it started clearing the mud and fixing the street lights on the road on Sunday in view of the PM’s visit, inviting ridicule from the people and social activists.
“The civic body has been making a mockery of public interests. We have been commuting through this road without proper street lights and proper cleaning for a long time. And all of a sudden, out of nowhere, the same road starts sparkling after the cleaning works carried out by the CCMC officials in view of Modi’s visit tomorrow (Monday).
This is ridiculous. If the same officials can keep the roads looking good and neat, that too within a short period of time, why can’t they maintain them in the same way always?” questioned G Sathyanarayanan Iyer, a motorist from Kavundampalayam.
S Vivin Saravan, a social activist, told TNIE, “Without proper street lights the MTP road has been engulfed in darkness for a long time. More than half of the streetlights were not working. But now, with Modi’s visit, the civic body suddenly woke up and started working as if it were in a ‘coma’ so far.
The streetlights are now being repaired at the last minute. These officials clean the roads, fix streetlights and clear the mud and garbage only when the PM, CM or any minister visits the city. In the remaining time, the officials don’t bother to bat an eyelid at the people’s problems. This is strongly condemnable.”
However, the CCMC chief has called it routine work which they were carrying out as per protocol.Speaking to TNIE, CCMC Commissioner M Sivaguru Prabakaran said, “The civic body personnel have cleaned the Mettupalayam Road. The streetlights are being fixed after instruction from the ALT team. All these cleaning and repair works are being done only as per protocol, just like how it’s done even during the CM’s visit to the city.”