Tiruchi residents take to the streets

The Federation of Tiruchi City Residents Welfare Association on Monday staged a demonstration in front of the Corporation office to protest against the poor condition of roads in residential colonies.

The roads were dug up to lay sewer lines under phase-II of the underground drainage scheme (UGD) in the city.

The federation members urged the government to allocate special funds to repair and blacktop the damaged roads. They also condemned the delay in completion of the new drinking water supply scheme for wards 61-65 and sought its expeditious implementation.

The federation contended that roads in many residential areas, including Tiruverumbur, Ellakudi, Kattur, Ariyamangalam, Golden Rock and Kalkandarkottai, spread over 19 wards, where the UGD works were under way since 2018, were badly damaged. The roads were full of potholes and rendered slushy following the monsoon. Residents faced tremendous hardship in negotiating the roads by vehicles.

The protesters withdrew the stir after Corporation officials assured them of temporary repair works on the damaged mud roads and call for tenders for black topping the roads in January.

“They also assured us that the water supply scheme would be completed within the next few months. Based on the assurances given by the officials, we decided to withdraw the stir,” the federation coordinators said in a statement issued later in the day.