In 2011, the Coimbatore Corporation began constructing chambers and laying pipelines for the underground drainage project at Venkitapuram and other areas in the neighbourhood. The civic body completed the work within a few months in some localities. But it did not repair the roads, leaving the residents suffer walk on undulating roads and motorists experience bumpy rides.
M. Rajkumar of V.K. Ranganathan Street says that for more than a year, the residents cannot walk comfortably on the road. Autorickshaw drivers, milk suppliers, newspaper hawkers, school van drivers refuse to enter the area complaining that the roads are bad. Parents are forced to take their children to where the van stops to help the latter reach school.
D. Thangaraj of Jagjivan Ram Street says that the residents placing washing stones have only compounded the problem in that the road width has further reduced.
In R.K. Layout, Amman Koil Street, Vinayagar Koil Street, Parthasarathy Street, Shastri Street, Ganga Street, Dr. Bhabha Street and many other areas the story is no different, says K. Purushothaman, a resident and former councillor. More affected are the 1,000-plus students of the Corporation elementary and high school in the area. The Parthasarathy Street is the one that leads to the school. The road was bad after the completion of the UGD work.
In R.K. Layout, the Corporation has also failed to maintain the park.
The civic body developed the 22-cent park at Rs. 8 lakh providing walkers’ path, pews, lights and planting herbs.
Today, though, the park is poorly maintained. S. Sivanandan, a resident, says that the residents hardly enter the park because shrubs have grown all over.The area councillor D. Umadevi says that efforts are on to repair the roads and also the park.
Sources in the civic body say that for most of the roads where the underground drainage work is completed, the Corporation has prepared estimates and is in the process of floating tenders. Likewise, efforts are on to improve the upkeep of the park.
The delay in repairing the roads is due to delay in completing the UGD work by providing house service connections.
