Open drains give Perungalathur a scare

Chennai

Locals said one such drainage was constructed in 1955 by a private firm in Perungalthur to take wastewater from its factory to the Perungalathur lake leaving the task to close them with manual openings with Peerkanakaranai panchayat. Even after many decades, the condition of the drain remains the same. The residents said the canal was nearly six-foot-deep and three-foot-wide. Since drainage is very close to the road without any barricades, the children riding bicycles have fallen and injured themselves several times.

Naveen Kumar from the locality said, “Many times we have asked Perungalathur panchayat officials to cover the drainage but in vain. The road will be busy the whole day since it is the second entrance to the Perungalathur railway station and poses a serious threat.”

The locals feel that if the drainage was covered by concrete slabs, the road will become broader and traffic smoother. “A few shops have encroached the road and the panchayat officials are not bothered about that too,” said another resident.

The residents said that officials should immediately cover the drainage before any major accident takes place.

Peerkankaranai former president AV Sampath Kumar said there is a proposal to close the drainage during the construction of the new drainage in the service road of the Perungalathur flyover which is currently underway. “Soon the drainage will be closed properly,” he said.

The Perungalathur Executive officer said: “We will visit the spot and take steps to place barricades till the drainage is covered.”