4 years & counting... Residents in suburbs rue over bad roads

CHENNAI: Bad roads in city suburbs have remained a cause of concern for locals. Residents living around Virugambakkam and Maduravoyal rue that despite several petitions sent to the Chennai Corporation and the Chief Minister’s Cell, these roads have not been relaid in the past four years.

Activist Pughalventhan V, who has filed numerous petitions and RTIs in this regard, said bad roads are there mostly in division 151 and 149 of the city corporation. “Roads in Chettiyaragaram, Thundalam, Erikkarai Road, Appadurai Road, Alpha College Street, and Kanniyamman Kovil Street are in poor condition,” he pointed out.

When Pughalventhan filed a petition to the CM’s cell in 2018, he said the reply he got was that the civic body needed clearance from the Metro Water Board as there were sewage pipes underground. Again in 2019 when he filed a petition, the reply was that the roads could be relaid only once in five years and that damaged parts alone could be patched up. “However, none of the road-cuts have been covered and residents still suffer,” said the activist.

Meanwhile, during the lockdown, roads in a few areas were raised above the surface for at least 30 to 40 centimetres. Moreover, residents in Valsaravakkam zone have alleged that road works were going on and even storm water drain projects were being undertaken there, but when queried by activists, the authorities did not provide copies of any work orders.

A Maduravoyal resident said, “In Maduravoyal, officials said that the Internet Service Providers must do the patchwork as they dug up the roads. They added that the civic body will inform them. But, nothing has been done so far.”When contacted by Express, officials said that work on all pending roads will be taken up after May.