Leaky roof of railway subway irks Tiruvallur passengers

CHENNAI: Hundreds of rail passengers have been facing hardship due to a subway, at the Tiruvallur railway station, that gets inundated even during light rainfall. The subway has leaky roofs and the public has been repeatedly demanding for a reconstruction.

The improper construction of the subway two years ago during the Covid period is the reason for the current situation, claimed the commuters.

A video shared by passengers shows the condition of subway on Friday night during moderate rain. The public is seen using umbrellas in the subway to escape from the leaky roofs and the subway is slightly inundated.

“The subway was constructed in a haphazard manner with concrete boxes placed one after another without plastering. The construction was carried out during the Corona period (May to June 2020) and the problem is persisting since then. Though the railway officials were alerted many times about the water leakage issue, no action has been taken. The electrical wiring done on the subway wall poses a threat of electrocution as there is leakage during rains,” said K Baskar, secretary of Tiruvallur Railway Passengers Association.

When contacted, an official attached to the Chennai division of Southern Railway said that the Engineering department is planning to install permanent motors to remove water from the subway.

Denying the drawbacks in the construction, the official said that an inspection was conducted and the leaky roofs were fixed with chemicals. The recent leakage will be looked into, the official added.