One of the oldest areas of the city, the space around the Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple, is constantly buzzing with activity. While thousands of tourists and devotees visit the area daily, a lot of traders, who deal in everything, from pipes, snacks, fruits to hardware, have made the place their home.
The approach roads to the Meenakshi temple, however, are in a sorry state. At the Tahsildar Pallivasal Street, three large potholes remain unattended for the last six months. Many people use the road to go to the two-wheeler parking area near the entrance to the temple and the Simmakkal fruit market.
“The road was last laid around two years ago. The three potholes mark places where there are manholes and, at least twice a week, the road gets damaged by overflowing sewage,” said Sheik Allahuddin, a trader.
P. Udayakumar, another trader who is in the process of building a shop in the area, said that the road was much worse earlier and traders themselves got together and tried to cover up the potholes with mud.
Drain overflow
“Every time the drain overflows, there is more damage to the road. On days when sewage water remains stagnant, we are unable to do business because of the stench and mosquitoes. With Deepavali fast approaching, we are extremely worried about the state of the roads since there will be a lot of people visiting the area,” he added.
The traders said that since the street belonged to two different wards, they were unsure about which councillor or engineer had to take responsibility for rectifying the issue. “Many inspections have taken place. For a permanent solution, the drainage lines have to be checked and re-laid following which paver block roads should be in place,” said Karuppansamy, an auto driver.
It may be recalled that laying of paver block and tar roads on many small streets in the area has also come to a standstill. On East Bhattarmar Street and West Bhattarmar Street, which belong to ward 84, the roads are extremely muddy and not easily navigable to motorists.
Dhalavai Street in ward 85, which houses the Simmakkal fruit market, also offers a bumpy ride for motorists and a dangerous walk for pedestrians. While the road is occupied on both sides by fruit vendors, there are open manholes on the road covered with steel bars which are extremely dangerous for pedestrians, who already have a constricted space.
Open defecation
On the East Avani Moola Street, the traders and vendors have a different problem to battle with. A few years ago, the construction of a complex to house the tailors and traders from Pudhu Mandapam began but was abandoned midway. All that is left today is the foundation and a few pillars and vendors in the area rued that it is being used as a spot for open defecation by passers-by as a result of which they are forced to put up with an unbearable stench throughout the day.
M. Kumar, a fruit vendor, said that the construction site should be sealed to prevent persons from misusing it. “There is also a dustbin placed at the entrance which should be moved away so that people do not use the spot to defecate. A few persons have also begun to use the place to park their cars and motorbikes,” he pointed out.
