Ananda Velu Street and Patel Road in Perambur are riddled with potholes, soon after works were carried out by the Corporation to resurface the stretches. Raghukumar Choodamani, a resident of Perambur for over 40 years now, said, “The authorities and the contractors don’t raise the level of the manhole covers in accordance with the level of the road. The covers are completely covered with Bitumen which is dug up later, resulting in a pothole of four to six inches deep. Similar work was carried out recently in Ananda Velu Street and Patel Road in Perambur, Ward 70, Zone 6 and now they have been dug up. Ananda Velu Street alone has about six potholes and there is one deep pothole opposite a nursing home on Patel Road.”

There are enough examples in Perambur that speak of the magnitude of the problem in the locality. There is one in the intersection of Ramachandran Street and Kannabiran Koil Street and a few outside the Corporation office on Barathi Road.

The residents also expressed fear about potholes being left unattended, given the reports on the accidents, some fatal, being caused by them.

“We hope that the authorities attend to the problem before the monsoons arrive,” he said. Raghukumar, who has taken up the issue with the Greater Chennai Corporation, said that there is better technology available to handle the manhole covers and potholes. Some of them are being employed in other cities of the country.

A source from Zone 6 said that the issue is a recurring one and that the Corporation doesn’t have the required technical staff to manage it. “While we can attend to the surface of stormwater drains, manhole covers require help from the Chennai Metro Water Supply and Sewerage Board. If we raise the issue with the department, it might be delayed depending on the availability of funds,” said the official, adding that the issue will be looked into.

The source added that any mistake in the approach can aggravate the problem. “If not done properly, the manhole doors can get pushed inside throwing traffic out of gear,” added the source.