Many promises of better infrastructure before the onset of northeast monsoon in several suburbs remain unfulfilled. Intermittent rains for the past two months are a stumbling block in completing civil works, say representatives of the local bodies.
The frequent bout of showers, a daily feature over the past few weeks, has affected normal life in the southern suburbs. Residents already fear the woes in store when the city experiences heavy rain during the northeast monsoon.
Showers that lash for just an hour are enough to inundate the Grand Southern Trunk Road in Chromepet bringing traffic to a grinding halt. “It was only recently that work on a minor bridge across GST Road was completed to drain rainwater to opposite side. The flooding has clearly exposed that the minor bridge, constructed from the tax payers' money, is a complete failure,” said S. Narasimhan, Pallavaram municipal councillor.
The unexpected rains have also affected the progress of some mega projects in Pallavaram and Tambaram.
Some of the worst affected places are Tiruneermalai and Anakaputhur, Madipakkam and the tail-end pockets of Ullagaram – Puzhuthivakkam. In western and northern suburbs, including Avadi and Ambattur, many roads that were due for patchwork remain unpaved as the work to provide water supply and underground drainage network has been delayed.
Officials of the western municipalities said showers have pushed the deadline of many works by two months. About 30 to 40 per cent of roads in Ambattur have been dug up for civil works.
Many local bodies such as Madhavaram plan to take up monsoon preparedness work such as desilting of stormwater drain next month hoping that rains would subside.
