Underpasses to be colour-marked in Coimbatore to avoid tragedies, says Senthilbalaji

COIMBATORE: Minister for Electricity, Prohibition, and Excise V Senthilbalaji on Tuesday said colour markings will be made in the underpasses to indicate the water level for vehicles to go through during rains, to avoid drowning deaths.

Responding to a query on two buses getting stuck on subsequent days in the railway underpass at Sivananda Colony in Coimbatore, Senthilbalaji said colour markings will indicate the type of vehicles that could pass through safely in an underpass during rains.

“The district administration has proposed the plan and taken up works to make colour markings,” he said, after inspecting a few spots that were affected by heavy rains in the last two days.

Further, Senthilbalaji said despite heavy downpour in a short span of time, the waterlogging was completely cleared to ensure people did not face any hassles. “Works like desilting of stormwater drains and sewage canals were taken up since May. All these works will be further sped up and completed by this month's end. In Coimbatore, six spots were identified to be affected by rains and efforts were taken to resolve the problem,” he said.

The minister said that WhatsApp groups would be formed with senior officials of various departments in the district for better coordination among them during rains. On the issue of power interruptions during rains, Senthilbalaji said their main priority was to prevent life loss.

“As a preventive measure, tree branches that pose a risk were axed down to prevent power disruptions. Also, teams have been formed in every district to respond to emergencies,” he said.