CHENNAI: A contractor engaged by the city corporation to lay a road in the Perungudi zone last week was forced to stop the laying and even remove the new layer following objections from residents over the quality of work being done during rain.
On Saturday, workers employed by the contractor were giving a fresh coat of bitumen to Raja Lakshmi Nagar 5th Street at Pallikaranai in Perungudi zone even as rain was pelting down. A video recorded by a resident showed hot bitumen being brought on a truck and being dropped on the road, while workers levelled it. A water puddle had already formed at the edge of the road.
Residents in the area immediately objected to this, raising questions about the quality of the road laid during rain. The workers continued unfazed, but had to stop when the residents refused to relent.
A video of this soon surfaced on social media and was shared by Arappor Iyakkam, an NGO which has been raising questions over the quality of roads laid by Greater Chennai Corruption as well as other issues of corruption.
On Monday, the corporation assistant engineer concerned visited the spot to take stock of the situation. A few hours later, the contractor came in and removed the freshly laid road with the machinery.
A resident who was present at the spot while the engineer conducted the inspection said the bitumen coating was so weak the engineer could scrape a chunk of it with his footwear.
A senior corporation official with the Perungudi zone confirmed the sequence of events and said the road would be re-laid after the monsoon.
Arappor Iyakkam convenor Jayaram Venkatesan said the contractor’s efforts were thwarted only because people raised their voices. “However, the corporation needs to ensure that the area gets a proper road and action is taken against the official and contractors responsible,” he said.