Rains compound damage to road

A portion of the concrete road dug up for underground drainage caved in dueto the sharp showers on Monday. Photo: A. Muralitharan

The sharp showers the city experienced on Monday has worsened the condition of a road at Timmarayasamuthiram in the city.

Trenches dug on the middle of the concrete road for providing underground drainage have not been properly closed, posing a threat to the safety of residents in general and the two-wheeler riders in particular.

The road, branching off from the Tiruchi-Chennai National Highway, leads to Sri Jambukeswarar-Sri Akilandeswari temple in Tiruvanaikovil.

Residents said they were elated when the mud road was converted into a concrete road about a year ago.

E.Kaliyaperumal (42), a resident, pointed out that the middle of the road was dug out about six months ago for providing the underground drainage.

E.Murugesan, another resident, said although the dug out portion was filled with earth, the poor quality of work resulted in cracks developing on the middle of the road. The showers on Monday had only aggravated the situation.

Parvathi, another resident, pointed out that the two-wheeler riders were the worst-hit persons. Most of them were caught unawares and their vehicles overturned after being trapped in gaping holes.

The problem was more acute at night as the area did not have adequate streetlights.

The residents wanted that some temporary restoration should be taken up immediately to ensure safety for the road users.