The State Highways Department is widening Mettupalayam Road for three km from VG Hospital to Vadamadurai. As part of the works, storm water drain is under construction on the road side.
“This is an ₹ 8-crore project taken up to bring down accidents on Mettupalayam Road. However, even at the construction stage, the storm water drain was damaged near Viswanathapuram. In one or two places, the storm water drain is on road and it will reduce the motorable space again. The Highways Department officials asked us to remove the trees planted on either side to give space for road widening. However, the electric poles have not been shifted at some locations,” said M. Devendran, secretary of Coimbatore District Road Protection Association.
Even in places where the trees were removed, the storm water drain is on the road, he claims. The Highways Department would have prepared a design for the project. The construction and widening of the road should be according to the design. The mud removed during the digging for the storm water drains should be removed. Otherwise, it is piled up on the roadsides and if there are rains it fills the drains again, he said.
An official of the highways department said the storm water drain is still under construction and the damaged portion will be rebuilt again. In many places the electricity poles or transformers were already on the edge of the road and cannot be shifted. In those places the drain had to be moved towards the road.
