Citizen Connect: Pothole-ridden roads in Korattur north offer bumpy and dangerous ride for motorists

Worried about their safety, motorists are afraid to use the road during night hours, said Santosh Kumar, who has to go through this road every day. “It is unsafe to ply on the road as there is a huge pit in the middle of the road. The City Corporation has not placed a board cautioning the users. This poses danger to those on two-wheelers,” he said.

Motorists are particularly complaining about the pothole-ridden First Main Road and Parthasarathy Street at TVS Nagar in Korattur north, which links the Water Canal Road to Jawaharlal Nehru Salai.

“The Water Canal road has become an important link road for the people residing in Surapet, Pudur and Oragadam to reach the Jawaharlal Nehru Salai. As the police have put up barricades to prevent motorists from taking a right turn in the service road to reach the Korattur north signal, they have to take the First Main Road and Parthasarathy Street to reach the junction,” said S Tamilarasan, a cab driver, explaining the significance of the road for the local people.

Due to the poor condition of the interior streets, many motorists are risking their lives by driving along the wrong side of the busy Jawaharlal Nehru Salai, he added. K Krishnan, a resident of Gopalakrishna Nagar in Korattur, said they had lodged several complaints with the Corporation authorities. However, they have not taken up relaying of the road despite this. “They are relaying certain roads but leaving out many of the interior roads. Particularly, the First Main Road and the Parthasarathy Street in TVS Nagar are remaining in bad condition for several years,” he said.

The cascading effect of this is felt on the residents of TVS Nagar in other ways, too. For instance, with many motorists taking the Water Canal Road to enter Korattur north, the road now has continuous flow of vehicles, making it difficult for the residents to walk on the streets, complained John Joseph, a resident of Fifth Cross Street

“The street lights also often fail. So, it is really difficult to walk safely to home or nearby shops during the evening or night,” he said. A Greater Chennai Corporation official said that all the roads in the city were being laid from time to time. “If any interior streets are left out, it may be due to some other reasons. We will direct the officials to look into non-relaying of the interior roads in Korattur north,” the official assured.