A section of the pavement on Ritherdon Road in Vepery bears the detritus of a civic work that was completed quite sometime ago.
An exercise to widen stormwater drains was completed a month ago, but construction material, including sand and debris, as well as snapped unused cables have been left behind.
There are many schools in and around Ritherdon Road, and many schoolchildren walk to their institutions. With most schools set to reopen in a few days, the debris is going to be a huge problem.
At present, the vehicular traffic on the two-way Ritherdon Road consists largely of motorcycles, cars and autorickshaws. Buses including private college buses and lorries, mainly Corporation garbage vehicles, have not been allowed to use the road due to the location of at least three schools including a school for music and a maritime academy.
Residents say the unused cables, which mostly belong to local cable TV network, were removed by civic officials to allow earth movers to dig a trench as part of the widening of the stormwater drain a few months ago. The cables were tied on Tangedco poles that supplies electricity to the households in the locality.
As many cables were hanging along the old narrow stormwater drain, they were removed and dumped on the pavement along the stretch by civic officials.
Once the new stormwater drain was on the stretch, except for a few intersections, the cables and other debris were left on the new footpath.
As the conservancy staff collect only garbage from households and street-corner bins, the unused cables and other debris on the new footpath were left unattended.
Another problem faced by pedestrians on the road is lack of any safety measures, including placement of barricades at incomplete spots, mainly the points where Ritherdon Road intersects with streets. Ritherdon Road connects to six streets, including Ritherdon Avenue, Sri Ramaswamy Street and Ritherdon Road Third Lane.
The new widened stormwater drain has not been connected at most of these intersections and the gap between two completed new drains is left open without any barricades around them to warn pedestrians. The new drain is around six feet deep and three feet wide.
At night, pedestrians are likely to notice the gaps along the new drain due to poor streetlights.
“Steps will be taken to remove obstructions on the footpath along the road. Adequate safety measures will be taken at the spots where the work is incomplete,” says a Corporation official.