VELLORE: Around 50 residents of Annai Theresa 7th Street at Sathuvachari Phase 3 allege that they are struggling to use their street as it is filled with loose gravel, which was spread for laying a new road five months ago but was left unattended soon after. J Babu, a resident said, “It has become risky for pedestrians and motorists. Several residents have tripped and fallen on the road.”
In addition, the street only has a single sewage drain, which is one and a half feet wide. Its capacity has further reduced as the drain has not been desilted for several years, allege residents. Whenever it rains, water from the neighbourhoods closer to the hills in Sathuvachari gushes to their street as it is low-lying and inundates the small drain, leading to flooding in houses as well.
V Mayeesan, another resident, said, “Water from some of our nearby streets also accumulates here.” Babu added that once the dirty water enters the drain outlets of households it easily leaks into their bathrooms. “Cleaning takes at least an hour and a half,” he said.
Residents suggest constructing drains on both sides of the street to prevent flooding. A corporation official said that a proposal to construct drains on the street would be sent to authorities next week. Another official assured that the drain construction would begin in January. Regarding the unfinished road, the official noted that the contractor might have stopped the work due to pending bills and assured that the work would be completed.