COIMBATORE: A key stretch of the Maniyakaranpalayam-Nallampalayam Road in Ward 19 of Coimbatore has caved in once again, sparking outrage among residents and motorists who accuse the Coimbatore City Municipal Corporation (CCMC) of gross negligence.
The road, which was damaged during underground drainage (UGD) works months ago, was only recently patched up. However, late on Thursday night, cracks reappeared and quickly worsened, extending over a 200-metre stretch near the Ilango Nagar-Nehru Nagar junction. By Friday morning, deep cavities had formed, making it treacherous for commuters.
Local resident R Murali Kumar, who uses the road daily to commute to work, expressed his frustration. "This road was just relaid a month ago, and it's already crumbling. How can they call this quality work? It's dangerous, especially at night as there are no proper streetlights on this stretch."
Another commuter, S Meena Ravi, a parent of two school-going children, added, "There are no streetlights here, and with the road collapsing, it's extremely risky. Yesterday, a goods truck and a few bikes got stuck in the potholes. What if it were a school van?"
Despite the visible danger, the road remains in use. Motorists, lacking alternative routes, are forced to carefully navigate the broken section. During peak hours, the stretch sees heavy traffic, further worsening the congestion and raising the risk of accidents.
According to residents, the cracks started small around Thursday midnight and have been widening since. Many blame the poor quality of restoration after the UGD works and accuse the civic body of rushing through resurfacing without proper foundation checks.
"Every time they dig and patch, it's the same story. They don't wait for the ground to settle or do any real quality checks. We are the ones paying the price in repair bills, injuries, or worse. This can't wait another day. The road is collapsing before our eyes," said S Murugan, a local shop owner.
Residents have urged the CCMC to act immediately and carry out permanent repairs. They fear the situation may worsen by evening when school vehicles and parents flood the area. Meanwhile, the CCMC authorities are yet to close the stretch for commuting.
CCMC Commissioner M Sivaguru Prabakaran told TNIE, “There have been leakages in the pipelines installed on the stretch for over a month, but this was not visible outside or reported earlier. So the officials who were testing the flow were unaware of it. The pipelines which have been installed about 4 ft underground damaged and started leaking which eventually caused the road to lose strength and cave in. Our officials are now attending to it and the stretch will be restored soon.”
