The recent spell of rains has turned Chithirai streets around Meenakshi Sundereswarar Temple slushy, causing inconvenience to devotees and pedestrians.
With the ongoing work of replacing paver blocks with cut stone blocks by Madurai Corporation as part of laying a heritage pathway under Smart Cities Mission, the streets have turned slushy, forcing pedestrians to wade through puddles. At many spots, the soil dug up for construction has caved in, after getting soaked in rain on consecutive days. “After dusk, devotees tend to fall into the pits. Two days back, we had to rescue a flower vendor who fell into the pit,” says P. Saravanakumar, a shopkeeper.
On Monday afternoon, M. Balaji, a vendor, was busy directing pedestrians to pass the stretch with utmost caution. “There are no signage or barricades to indicate that people might slip because of the loose soil,” he says.
The junction of West and South Chithirai Street was inundated with water, thus reducing the passageway for pedestrians. “The officials dug up the stretch and did not fill it with soil. The stagnant water has become a breeding ground for mosquitoes,” says Mr. Saravanakumar. Adding to the set of problems, the paver and cut stone blocks are scattered on the streets. “The devotees may slip and fall as they are all scattered around,” says M. Pechi, a devotee.
According to the Corporation City Engineer, it takes time for the soil to set where work had been undertaken, more so during rains. The work is expected to be completed by this year-end, he added.