Corpn ignores potholes in Kodambakkam street, residents fill it up with debris

For the past several weeks, driving on Sivan Koil Cross Street in Kodambakkam has been quite a challenge for motorists as the Greater Chennai Corporation is yet to repair the damaged road.

According to the shopkeepers on the street, the bitumen road was damaged even before the onset of Northeast monsoon and the situation worsened during the rains.

“While a major portion of the street is in a good condition, the spot, where it merges with Sivan Koil Street is damaged,” a shopkeeper said on condition of anonymity.

Several motorists from Kodambakkam and Choolaimedu areas use Sivan Koil Cross Street to reach Arcot Road as a part of Sivan Koil Street was converted into a one-way road. “Vehicles coming from Choolaimedu or Trustpuram cannot reach Arcot Road using Sivan Koil Street. Due to this, the Sivan Koil Cross Street has attained prominence,” the shopkeeper added.

He also pointed out the traffic bottleneck caused owing to the poor condition of the road and said the vehicles are zigzagging to avoid potholes. “This put the pedestrians in danger,” he said.

A Senthil, a two-wheeler rider said that he has been using the road for several months. “Despite Kodambakkam being one of the prime areas in the city, the Chennai Corporation has been avoiding this area. Concerned shopkeepers and residents fill the potholes with debris but that is not a permanent solution,”he added.

He also urged the civic body to step-in to repair the potholes with hot tar mix, so that the street remains in good condition for rest of the season.

Pointing out the disadvantages of filling potholes with debris, S Kumar, another two-wheeler rider, said that riding on debris is more dangerous than riding through potholes.

“The Chennai Corporation should act on this instead of allowing residents to repair the street who do not have any engineering knowledge. The civic body claims that it has been repairing the roads battered by rains, but, several damaged roads have been left to worsen during the monsoon,” he said.

When contacted a Chennai Corporation engineer, he said that water stagnation during rains led to the formation of potholes. “We will take necessary action to repair the road temporarily. After the monsoon, the street will be relaid,” he said.