Citizen Connect: Rain elevates troubles of unevenly laid roads for residents in Velachery

The road, which the commuters use, is also used by tanker lorries and trucks to reach Adambakkam. They allege that it has led to severe damage to the road.

“Four years ago, during the last MLA elections, they laid the road,” said Raja Ram, a resident of the area for the past 20 years. He added that when it rains, it is a struggle for the residents and commuters to pass through the street as it becomes difficult to see the potholes.

Residents also complained that rainwater tends to stagnate in the area for more than a day and makes it a breeding ground for mosquitoes. With the street housing more than 400 residences, people living in the area claimed that mosquito menace is giving them sleepless nights. They added that they had to increase the hight of entrances into the houses as rainwater mixed with sewage often seeps into the house.

“The area used to see a lot of cars initially, but now it has decreased as the bumpers of many cars hit the road,” said C Raja, another resident. He also said that only two-wheelers are seen commonly, but even that has reduced due to rains.

The road which was initially 20 feet wide is now only 15 feet as many houses have a closed drainage system in the front yard, which has made the situation even more difficult. “As there is an electricity junction box here, the department brings an earthmover whenever there is a power problem and makes the life of commuters worse,” he added.

BV Tharika a resident of Nethaji colony, who used to take the route to reach her home said, “Since the road became worse, I take an alternative route which is a bit longer.’’

When DT Next tried contacting the ward 178 Corporation office, they were unreachable.