SWD works left midway, irk Pulianthope residents

CHENNAI: Motorists on Pulianthope Main Road are wading through danger every day as the Greater Chennai Corporation left the construction of storm water drain works midway after digging the road six months ago.

A resident, on the condition of anonymity, said that the storm water drain works were started after the November 2021 floods. “But the works were stopped several weeks ago. Now, the pits dug for the drains are filled with sewage water and garbage,” he added.

The resident raised concerns as several school children use the road every day and no one would know if anyone falls into the sewage when no one is around.

He expressed discontent as the civic body remains indifferent despite raising the issue several times. “I have sent a complaint to the Mayor also. But no measures were taken by the officials concerned,” he said.

The road is about five kilometres long and the entire stretch is in a dangerous condition. “Apart from the sewage, unconcerned residents skew garbage around the drains,” he said.

Apart from putting the motorists in danger, the civic body has put the local residents in difficulty by forcing them to use wooden boards to cross the pits.

When asked, an official said that measures have been taken to complete the works before the onset of the monsoon. “The contractor concerned has been directed to speed up the works,” he said.

Meanwhile, Shiv Das Meena, secretary of municipal administration and water supply department, conducted inspections of the storm water drain works in Thiru Vi Ka Nagar, under which Pulianthope falls.