Ahead of the monsoon, what worries the residents of Pammal in the suburbs is the open drain on Gandhi Street in Anna Nagar near Pammal, work on which has not been carried out for several months. According to residents, these pose real threat to the people during rain and floods, as they would not be visible under the sheet of water.

It is not just the motorists who face the risk due to the existence of open drains, but also pedestrians who walk along the road in the night hours. According to the residents, they have had complained to the local body several times by now, but the municipality officials failed to pay heed. 

“I lodged several complaints with the officials concerned. But no one came to rectify it,” said S Venkatesan, a resident of Anna Nagar. He recalled an incident where he narrowly missed falling into the drainage pit after losing control while riding his two-wheeler along the road. 

S Mona, another resident, said that she saw a car’s front wheel stuck in the drain recently. “The car driver was lucky as there were a few people to help him out.” 

Adding to the woes, vendors make things worse by dumping rotten vegetables into the drains which clogged it, residents alleged. “Due to this, the sewage overflows too,” said K Satheesh, a social activist.

Satheesh added that he had urged the authorities to temporarily close the drainage so that it was safe for the people. 

“Officials, however, say that the municipality does not have enough resources to close it temporarily,” he added. 

“Several street dogs fell into the drainage. If officials fail to take action before the monsoons arrive, it will pose a great threat for the people living in this area. If they do not take measures immediately, a complaint will also be lodged to the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) safter organising a signature campaign,” Satheesh shared.