Back-aching rides reach a new level when riding on the long-winding stretch of road from Iyer Bungalow to Park Town.
Vehicles are forced to crawl due to congestion as the road has shrunk by half following repeated digging up of the stretch to undertake various works by the Public Works Department and Corporation, one after the other.
The arterial road, which connects Fatima College with Mattuthavani, is full of bumps and potholes on the left lane. The road from Kulamangalam-Anaiyur Road Junction to All India Radio facility at Koodal Nagar has also been dug up,leading to traffic jams during peak hours.
It is tricky for two-wheeler riders to negotaite the curves as heavy vehicles such as lorries pass by very close.
S. Murugan, a teacher residing along the stretch at Uchaparambumedu, said, “Within two years of laying a new road, it was dug up, first for erecting electric poles which should have been done prior to the road-laying, and again for laying underground drainage lines,” he said. Another digging up is exercise is round the corner -soon water pipelines will be laid, he added.
Why can’t the authorities ensure that these works are completed once and for all before taking to lay roads? This can also reduce the project outlay, he said.
D. Ramachandran, a resident of Tamil Nadu Housing Board Colony in Anaiyur, said that during rains, the muddy roads gets slushy and the potholes submerge, making it very unsafe for motoristsas they must endure traffic congestion and sometimes minor accidents happen too.
He also added that streetlights do not function effectively hence commuting during the dark is a task. “Dust arising from the paved areas is a bigger issue,” he said.
“Workers are not instructed to mill the roads before laying new ones. As a result, houses tend to be in a low-lying area causing various troubles,” said Mr Murugan.
He called for installing a speed limit sign board and speed breakers to keep a check on road safety.
A Corporation official working in ward 4 said that these areas like Park Town were added to the Corporation limits in 2011. “It needs strengthening of basic facilities like water supply and underground drainage system (UGD). The work is on actively without hiccups and will be completed within the stipulated time,” he added.
Currently, UGD works are underway under Smart Cities Mission while water pipelines are laid under the Mullaperiyar drinking water project, executed under Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT).
“Roads will be laid as soon as the UGD works are completed in phases like we already did in Kalai Nagar and some areas in Park Town,” he added.
