The ongoing works for laying Under Ground Drainage (UGD) pipelines from Lakshmi Mills Junction to Nanjundapuram Road Sewage Treatment plant site for a little over 3.6 km is throwing traffic out of gear.
Chaotic traffic scenes on both stretches of the road only reiterate the need for efforts on the part of the Corporation for being a little friendlier towards the motorists and residents and also the need for two or three policemen in both the stretches to regulate the flow of vehicles to avoid chaos and heated exchanges among motorists over right of way.
The Corporation has embarked on the work for constructing manholes for every 30 m and for laying one-metre diameter Pre Stressed Concrete (PSC) pipes for carrying the sewage from the city to the treatment plant site at almost the tail end of Nanjundapuram Road.
Chambers
At present, one side of the road has been taken up for digging and laying pipelines besides construction of manhole chambers at every 30 meters.
The remaining side of the road, measuring 30 to 35 ft in width has to accommodate traffic both ways.
At some places, the contractor carrying out the underground drainage work for the Corporation has placed the PSC pipes occupying some motorable space.
In the absence of these pipes, the motorist would find it easy to steer towards the extreme end of the road to give way to an oncoming heavy vehicle such as truck or bus.
In the absence of the space, traffic snarls are becoming the order of the day, especially during peak hours, says C.G. Kumar, a lawyer residing on Nanjundapuram Road.
Understanding the need for taking up such infrastructure-related works and the related inconvenience, Mr. Kumar pointed out that the authorities could plan slightly better.
The work could be turned a little friendlier for the motorist by slightly pushing the alignment of the underground drainage line to the left side of the road, so that there would be some space on the other side for accommodating traffic in either direction.
Absence of street lights and poor lighting on Nanjundapuram Road accompanied by absence of caution signs in the form of barricading or retro reflective tapes was adding to the woes.
First-time users of the stretch are facing the risk of meeting with an accident, he added.
Puliakulam Road from Vinayakar Temple to Kidney Centre, where the work has just begun, was witnessing chaotic traffic during peak hours as just one side of the road alone was available for movement of vehicles.
Diversion
There is scope for diverting the traffic on this stretch through other parallel roads, for all except those who want to reach specific places on this stretch, says Saravanan residing on the Red Fields Road.
On the other hand, Nanjundapuram Road residents are left with no other option but to wade through the chaotic traffic.
Mr. Kumar added that the civic body should find ways and means to reduce the inconvenience caused and get the assistance of the city police to regulate the flow of traffic in stretches where the work has commenced.
In fact, more than 200 landline telephone numbers of the Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) in Nanjundapuram Road area were reportedly not working for the last four days.
Inquiries revealed that the digging had resulted in snapping of cables and the BSNL authorities were working since Monday to restore these telephones.
