Bad roads do not just lead to accidents. In Kolathur, they also result in an increase in petty crimes.
According to residents of Vanasakthi Nagar extension and other areas in Kolathur, poor police patrolling as a result of battered roads has emboldened thieves and petty criminals to strike at will.
On Tuesday, A. Balaji of Vanasakthi Nagar Extension returned from a trip to Bangalore to find his house burgled. A box of coins and a digital camera were missing.
Kolathur residents say such thefts have become commonplace in the neighbourhood. They blame it on lack of adequate police patrolling because of the unmotorable roads.
The area falls under the jurisdiction of the Korattur police. Beat policemen on motorcycles regularly patrol the area in the night despite the bad roads and everything, a police officer says.
They have received verbal complaints from residents, regarding thefts and burglaries, on and off in the recent past, the police say. “We are taking steps to curb such crimes,” the officer says.
Easter Raj, a resident of Vivekananda Nagar, says his neighbourhood lies at the end of the Korattur police limits. Damaged roads that have been neglected for years have added to their woes, he says.
Though a project to provide an underground drainage network in the area was completed a year ago, the roads are yet to be laid. Their condition worsens during the rains, Mr. Raj says.
The damaged roads coupled with lack of street illumination have proved advantageous for petty thieves, residents allege.
Two months ago, ornamental lights and even gas cylinders were stolen from a few houses in the neighbourhood. The area also lacks a police outpost.
A civic body official says steps are being taken to lay the roads. Vivekananda Nagar Main Road was recently laid and the interior lanes too would be laid soon, he says.
