The ‘smart roads’ work that was halted due to COVID-19 lockdown resumed with minimum workers here recently.
Under the Smart City Mission, the Erode Corporation had proposed to develop the Kalaimagal School Road (ward 43), Jeevanandam Road (ward 52), Periyar Nagar Chidambaram Colony Road (ward 44) and the Old Poondurai Road in ward 45 at a total cost of ₹ 41.30 crore.
Upgrading footpaths
Works taken up include redesigning roads, upgrading footpaths, providing underground utilities such as cables and pipelines, provision for pedestrian pathways and cycle tracks, smart pole for covering energy efficient and remotely controllable LED street lights, Wi-Fi hotspot services, surveillance cameras for safety and information display for advertisement. A total of 4.375 km-long-stretch was planned for conversion and work began earlier this year. However, the work was halted in March due to lockdown.
Since normalcy is restoring in the district, the civic body had asked the contractors to resume work.
Corporation Commissioner M. Elangovan told The Hindu that 90% of the earlier workers were North Indians and they had returned to their native.
Contractors have started arranging buses to bring them back and efforts were also on to arrange workers locally.
“Availability of workers will decide on the completion of the works,” the Corporation Commissioner added.
