A few days ago, a tractor fell into the drain in Thirunagar Colony in Tamil Nadu Housing Board quarters in Singanallur. A crane was brought in to pull out the vehicle.
This was not the first time that crane had moved into the area, which comes under Ward 64, says D. Ramji, a resident. It had been used to pull out autorickshaws and two-wheelers as well. The reason for such frequent accidents is damaged causeway across a drain and the road that leads to it.
No railings
The causeway is without railings. The road that leads to it is only a couple of foot wide at the start of the causeway. And, to top it all, the nearest street light is a little away, making it an ideal spot for accidents.
The residents say they have been fighting for over five years to have the causeway repaired. It has been around six years and the present Councillor K. Sedhuvaraj was in his first time, recalls S. Indrani, another resident.
They wrote to the Corporation asking for the causeway to be repaired. And the civic body is yet to respond to the proposal.
Mr. Sedhuvaraj says that the then Corporation administration took up the proposal, prepared estimates and was about to float tenders. Thereafter nothing much happened.
He has again raised the issue in the last Council meeting. The administration has promised to start the work at the earliest.
If the causeway is repaired and traffic restored, it will help the residents easily reach Kamaraj Road. At present, they are forced to go through circuitous route, points out S. Rathinam, secretary, Thirunagar Colony Residents' Welfare Association. Cleaning of underground drainage in the area is another issue that the residents are besieged with.
The Association has been maintaining the underground drainage ever since the Tamil Nadu Housing Board handed over to them the apartments.
The Association operated the motor to pump out the sewage in to the nearby drain.
Over the years, the problems have increased. The depth of manholes is over 10 feet, the stoneware pipes conveying the sewage are choked and the Association does not have the wherewithal to maintain the same, says A. Venkatachalam, president.
The residents have been asking the Corporation to takeover the maintenance of the underground drainage line.
But the Corporation is yet to do so as the entire East Zone is without underground drainage and the civic body has nowhere to take the sewage to.
Unless the Corporation puts in place a mechanism to safely dispose of the sewage it cannot and will not takeover the maintenance of the underground drainage system, Mr. Sedhuvaraj says. Officials only concur with him.
At the neighbouring R.V.L. Colony, a causeway across a drain is damaged.
It is also too narrow to hold the traffic. Every morning and evening, vehicles queue up on both sides of the causeway, which is around 60 year-old, says K. Ramalingam, a resident.
The causeway connects the lane that leads to Tiruchi Road with the road that leads to Rajiv Gandhi Nagar and Uppiliplayam Housing Unit.
Mr. Sedhuvaraj says that he has asked the Corporation to widen the causeway to cater to the increased traffic.
