Commuters were greeted with potholes on several arterial roads, filled with construction debris, on Wednesday. They were not happy.
As the signal turned green at the Arasaradi junction, R. Sundaram (62), who was riding his bike on New Jail Road, was caught off guard by the brick-protrusion on the road. His scooter wobbled and later settled but the man was shaken. “Why would anyone place bricks in the middle of the road? I could have met with an accident,” he said.
Several roads of the city including Gokhale Road, Panagal Road, Travellers Bunglow Road and 80 Feet Road in K. K. Nagar are ridden with potholes following the recent rain. The Corporation has filled up the damaged potholes with construction debris in an attempt to make roads even.
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Buses from places like Theni, Dindigul and Kerala pass through Gokhale Road to reach Mattuthavani. Until this temporary casing was done, commuters could see the fourth layer of the road in huge potholes.
The road is part of a major bus route and has several shops and hospitals. Officials from the district administration including the Collector and Corporation Commissioner often drive through these rough patches.
Residents and commuters, who use public transport, have been complaining for several months about the billow of sand on the periphery of these roads. This new debris-patchwork seems to have added to their woes.
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R. Shanmugam, who owns a push cart on B.B. Kulam, says that dust often flies. He has been unable to cycle past Gokhale Road without sand in his eyes. Fine dust is the highest contributor to Madurai’s air pollution levels, says an environmental expert.
Top officials from the engineering department of the Madurai Corporation say that this is a temporary measure to cover potholes during rainy season. Hot bitumen mix cannot be used in patch work during rainy season as it will not last long, says an engineer. Use of debris to fill up potholes is a routine affair, done every year, they claim.
When contacted, Corporation Commissioner S. Aneesh Sekhar said that he was unaware of this patchwork taking place. He added that tender had been floated for repair work on Gokhale Road and work would start in a month as it was a highly damaged road. The rest of the roads, however, continue to be in the deep trouble.