The unseasonal summer rain last week, though largely welcome, has however, literally kicked up much dust on the city roads, leaving motorists fuming.
As the slush dries after the rain, a cloud of dust hangs over almost all arterial roads in the city, giving a harrowing time for pedestrians, bi-cyclists and two-wheeler riders. Accumulation of fine sand and dust along roads in the city has been a persistent problem in the city. The accumulated sand leads to accidents as two-wheelers skid on dusty roads.
Patches of accumulated sand along several arterial roads, though in good condition, give a nightmarish experience to road users. The problem is acute around the Chathram and Central Bus Stand, West Boulevard Road, Madurai Road, Vella Mandi Road, Gandhi Market, Thanjavur Road.
Given the tendency of the city bus crews to over-speed, a majority of two-wheeler riders are pushed to the edges of the road, often making their vehicles wobble in the sand. Besides, the heavy vehicles kick up a cloud of dust leaving the two wheeler riders to ride though a haze.
“After the slush has dried out after the rain, it is very difficult to ride two-wheelers in the city. Even wearing sun glasses does not help as the fine sand gets into the eyes. Very often, I have to halt to clear my eyes,” says R.Ashok, a businessman.
The dusty roads aggravate the problems for those with respiratory ailments and asthma. Apart from the pollution caused by the vehicles, the air pollution kicked up by the dust is very high these days, he says.
Some suggest that the roads be cleaned up regularly to clear the sand accumulated on roadsides. Although the National Highways Authority of India engages people to clear sand from highways that have been four-laned recently around the city, the Corporation has no such a system. Given the shortage of hands, the civic body is hard pressed to clear the solid waste and clogged drains. Over the past few days, teams of Corporation workers were engaged in clearing drains and roadsides. In some places, the roadside slush was being removed.
A few years back, the Corporation had hired, for a brief period, a machine for cleaning up the city roads using suction pumps and mops. But the move was not pursued by the civic body.
The Corporation could go in for such mechanised options to keep the city roads clean, feel a section of residents.
