Potholes greet motorists to New Jail Road, which connects Arasaradi junction with Simmakkal.
S. Maran, an autorickshaw driver, says a ride through the road is a back-breaking journey. Some potholes are half-a-foot-deep causing immense hardship to those who take the route regularly.
The entire stretch along the Karimedu fish market remains in tatters. Shopkeepers complain that officials did not bother to cover portions of the road which were dug for laying underground drainage pipelines.
“Since the road has become narrower, many two-wheeler riders skid and fall into large craters. We have covered the craters with sand to avoid such accidents,” says M. Pandiarajan, a load man working at the fish market.
A brief spell of rain on Wednesday has exposed the pitiable condition of road as pools of water were found in many places.
“Stormwater drains on one side of the is clogged and whenever it rains, the uneven road is inundated with sewage water,” says I. Singathevan, a shopkeeper in the fish market.
Sewage causes a health hazard to students of Sethupathi Pandithurai Higher Secondary School, says the headmaster of the school. “The water used to clean the fish in the market stagnates in front of the school as there is no outlet. Unbearable stench prevails and it has turned into a breeding ground for mosquitoes,” he adds.
Motorists complain about poor lighting facility especially in front of the Central Prison. “Officials have erected new LED lights but they are placed at a longer distance from one another making the stretch dark. Motorists hit speed breakers during night hours as they do not have any indication,” says a policeman present at the junction.
Strange positioning of two rows of electric poles in the middle of the carriageway near Madurai Central Prison compounds the problem. “Though there are small indicators on the poles, speeding vehicles hit them at night,” says Mr. Singathevan.
City Engineer S. Arasu said that officials would inspect the road and carry out patch-up work wherever necessary. Machines would be deployed to remove stagnant water from the road.
