In a district that saw nearly 15 per cent deficient rainfall between June and September, rains during the last few days have certainly brought cheer to the residents. However, the rains have also made driving in the city difficult because of the bad condition of the roads.
Be it main roads such as the Thadagam Road or the connecting stretches such as the Nanjundapuram road and Sanganur road, road users are finding it difficult to drive even for short distances.
Vehicles have to avoid the pools of water, slushes on the roadside. It also forced the pedestrians to walk on the road, and vehicles parked on the roadside also eat into the driving space.
The underground drainage works are going on or have been just completed in many parts of the city, thus reducing the space available for pedestrians and vehicles. For instance, on Thadagam Road, from the Government College of Technology to the NSR Road junction, materials such as blue metal and concrete pipes lie on the roadside, road is dug up in some places for the underground drainage works and slushes are common after the rains. With schools and colleges located on the stretch, traffic flow is affected on the stretch especially during peak hours. Residents in the area point out that two-wheeler riders falling off their vehicle has become a common sight with at least one or two instances every day.
The Mettupalayam Road, which was widened recently, already has the bitumen topping coming off in some places and pits in several parts of the road. Drive on the Sanganur Road is almost a roller coaster ride as the road works are yet to be completed.
Residents living on colonies on either side of Nanjundapuram Road are worst hit, since they do not have any other road to reach Tiruchi Road and the ongoing ROB works have resulted in accessing Podanur difficult. Every time it rains, Nanjundapuram Road witnesses flooding and this is getting worse of late. In addition, the ongoing UGD works have not only narrowed the motorable space but has also turned the road slushy and risky.
