Citizen Connect: Commuters forced to wade through stinking water stagnating inside Pallavaram subway

Thousands of people who travel by suburban train from Pallavaram and its neighbouring areas are facing hardship due to subway located at the GST Road, which that they have to take to reach the railway station. For, to reach the railway station, they have to wade through the stinking water that has been stagnating in the subway ever since the rains started. 

Many, including women, have raised the matter with officials several times. However, they have not taken any concrete step to resolve the issue.

“Since the start of the northeast monsoon, the water is constantly stagnating in the subway. Though there has not been any heavy rain in the area for the last two weeks, there still is water stagnation,” said S Varalakshmi, a resident of Pammal who works in a corporate company near Beach Railway Station. Except on Sundays, she has to walk through the water twice a day while going and returning from work.

After getting to office, Varalakshmi said, she has to spend at least 15 minutes to clean her feet with soap. “It really stinks throughout the journey,” she added.

The commuters are forced to walk through the stagnant water, as there is no option to cross the busy GST Road to reach the railway station. When the construction of a bridge began, the authorities had barricaded both sides of the road to prevent people from crossing.

“Earlier, when the Pallavaram subway is be flooded during heavy rain, we used to cross the road with the help of traffic police personnel. Now, we are forced to use the subway,” said S Karthik, a resident of Pallavaram studying second year engineering in a private college near Tambaram.

K Abdullah, who runs a mobile phone shop on the Pallavaram railway station road, said that many were coming to his shop to repair their phones after dropping their phones in the water inside the subway.

A senior official from Pallavaram Municipality said that the authorities were taking steps to clear the sewage water. “There is a leak, which could not be rectified due to the construction of a flyover that is ongoing. Once the construction of the flyover is over, we will permanently solve the issue,” the official said.