With de-silting of stormwater drains and a culvert in Surapet, near Ambattur Old Town, progressing at a tardy pace, residents and motorists are being subjected to great inconvenience.
The de-silting work near the Surapet junction, covering a distance of 500 metres, has been going on for nearly two months. The work has been undertaken by Chennai Metrowater.
Owing to the ongoing work, the 60ft Surapet Main Road, maintained by the State Highways Department, has shrunk drastically, making it slushy and slippery.
Every day, hundreds of motorists from Red Hills, Puzhal and Avadi use the road to reach the central parts of the city including T. Nagar, Anna Salai and Adyar via Anna Nagar.
Due to the ongoing flyover work at Retteri, traffic on Jawaharlal Nehru (J.N) Main Road is hit, especially during rush hour. To avoid the traffic bottlenecks on J.N. Road, motorists use Surapet Main Road.
“Though Surapet Main Road is battered for at least a kilometre, motorists tend to take this road as it is less congested,” says S. Ramesh, a resident of Red Hills.
With Surapet Main Road having shrunk is size, pedestrians are forced to walk in the middle of the road.
This exposes pedestrians to greater danger at night, as there are no warning signboards or steel railings.
Even in the event of a light shower, the clogged drain overflows, making it difficult for motorists to identify the open drain.
“The Chennai Metrowater should complete the work at the earliest as the pothole-ridden road turns slushy and slippery even after a light drizzle. With poor illumination, residents feel it is quite unsafe to cross the Surapet junction, especially at night,” says S. Shanta, a resident of Surapet.
A few months ago, Chennai Metrowater dug up a road near Velammal School, Surapet, for pipe-laying work. Though the work has been completed, the damaged stretch has not been re-laid, forcing motorists to drive on a sandy stretch.
“Steps will be taken to complete the de-silting work soon,” says a Metrowater official.
