In Vijaya Nagar and Balaji Nagar at Nallampalayam the residents’ wait for road and drain is at least 18 years. “We have been demanding road and drain since 1995 – when the promoters developed layouts and residents started building houses,” says M. Saminathan, a resident. The area residents have never seen road and drain in all those years. Residential colonies that promoters developed much later, however, enjoy such facilities, say another resident.
Slushy road with ups and downs that could test any seasoned driver’s capability is all that the residents have. Walking or driving on the road is a challenge, says E.A. Sunny, adding that during rains it becomes all the more difficult.
Mr. Saminathan says that instances of residents losing balance are not uncommon. After the recent rain, the residents were forced to wade through cesspool of water and a few days ago, a couple of children fell off the vehicle, fell into the stagnated rainwater and had their uniforms soiled.
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T.K. Leelavathi, a resident, says that such instances recur every year, during monsoon.
Compounding the problem is the absence of drain. In front of every house, there is a puddle of sewage. This is because, the Corporation has not provided drain. And, again, the wait has been 18 years, E.A. Sunny.
The sewage flows onto the road and that adds to the motorists’ woes. The area was an unapproved layout until the residents paid the regularisation fee under the scheme the previous DMK government introduced the scheme. Even after the residents got the layout regularised, started paying property tax, they have not seen any development.
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The only saving grace is street light, he adds.
The residents they have taken up the matter with the previous and present councillor but nothing much has come of it.
Two weeks ago, the residents also petitioned the Mayor, S.M. Velusamy.
Ward 44 councillor Venthamarai Balu says that Mr. Velusamy has asked the officials to immediately provide underground drainage facility for the area. Even as the underground drainage work is in progress, the Corporation will level the roads with gravel.
Once the UGD work is complete, the Corporation will level asphalt road.