Though the decision of Tiruchi City Corporation to relay roads at an estimate of ₹12 crore has gone down well among residents in general, residents of far flung and interior wards have expressed dismay over non-inclusion of many bad roads in the improvement plan.
Improvement of several arterial roads, including Bharathidasan Road, Birds Road, Andal Street, Collector Office Road, Reynold’s Road, Birds Road, Jambukeswarar Nagar in Thiruvanaikoil, Amma Mandapam Road in Srirangam were among those selected for road improvement. According to sources, roads, which were damaged in recent rain, and the roads, where improvement works were taken up about five years ago, have been included in the plan.
While the residents of various wards and regular users of roads, which are included in the improvement plan, heaved a sigh of relief, there are dissenting voices too. Many residents, who live in interior wards, feel that many badly damaged interior roads, which deserved to be included in the plan, have been left out.
It has been a common plaint that arterial roads and the main wards, in post localities, have been given undue preference in allocation of funds for road improvement citing the allocation of huge sum for relaying roads in Cantonment area.
Ghouse Baig, secretary, Tamil Nadu Consumer Protection Council, Golden Rock branch, complained that roads in 39th, 40th and 41st wards were in bad condition. Several roads in Edamalaipattipudur, Crawford, Ramachandra Nagar, K.K. Nagar, Airport, Ramji Nagar and Karumandapam were badly in need of improvement.
Several of them were in deplorable condition with pits, potholes and craters.
Stating that the Corporation had planned to relay the roads ahead of MGR birth centenary celebrations in Tiruchi which is to be attended by the Chief Minister, Mr. Baig said that as the north-east monsoon was likely to start within two weeks, the newly laid roads may get damaged.
Hence, it was better to start the road works after the monsoon.
However, all damaged roads should be made motorable with patch works immediately, he added.
