Overflowing sewage, traffic congestion, dust pollution and unpaved roads have become a regular part of commuting on Paper Mills Road in Perambur. Of all, overflowing sewage seems to have had the worst effect on business in the area and is an inconvenience to motorists taking the stretch.
Paper Mills Road is dotted with many commercial establishments, big and small. Much of the sewage problem is near the Gandhi Statue stretch. There are three manholes which often overflow, leaving the road in an appalling condition.
“The smell is overpowering and when vehicles zoom on the road, the dirty water sometimes splashes on me,” says a traffic inspector on duty.
J. Mittalal Thangamaligai, a jewellery showroom, has suffered the most. The owners have repeatedly complained to ‘1913’ (Corporation’s complaint redressal cell) about the road sloping outsides the showroom, causing drainage water to stagnate. “A couple of week ago, a customer slipped outside the showroom,” says Sanjay Mittalal, a partner. Mosquitoes also breed in the dirty water. Now, the staff has placed rubber pallets at the entrance of the showroom.
A few buildings away, in an electronic shop a long carton is rolled out as carpet at the entrance. “The overflowing drains bring dirty water into my shop and we can’t keep cleaning it,” complained an employee of Mercy Electronics.
Some shops even request customers to leave their footwear outside before stepping in.
“I have to come to the main road [Paper Mills Road] for shopping but I make as few trips as possible to avoid wading through dirty water,” says V.O. Lakshmi, a resident of Sankara Maddam. A lane behind Gandhi Statue leads to Ragava Street, where trenches are exposed and filled with potholes.
Residents have different version on the cause of the overflowing sewage. While some say the drainage connection has not been laid in one of the buildings as the owner has not paid the civic body, a few others say many restaurants have cropped up who let out the waste into the drains without segregation.
According to a Metro Water official, work has already begun to increase the diameter of sewer lines.
