Frequent sewage overflow clogs traffic on Arcot Road

CHENNAI: Commuters complain that sewage overflow on Arcot Road, Vadapalani, leads to potholes and causes traffic snarls. Road users are forced to wait for at least an hour during the peak hours due to the slow pace of metro rail work. Also, there are hospitals in the locality and due to traffic, it takes time for the ambulance to reach them on time.

“The drainage water overflows from manholes on the road, it has led to stagnation. Usually, there is an overflow of sewage and the metro rail construction has made the situation worse. The road got damaged and potholed due to continuous flow of sewage and stagnation and the civic body authorities were not able to relay or do patch work,” said K Vignesh, a resident of Virugambakkam.

When complaints are raised with the zonal corporation officials and Chennai Metro Water, the blame game goes on. Local residents and shop owners filed a complaint in the CM cell. But, the case was closed without resolving the issue. They urge the concerned authorities to inspect the place and give a permanent solution.

In addition, the ongoing metro rail project makes the situation worse for the commuters. People are forced to take 2 km extra detour from interior roads to reach the main road. With roads in bad shape, heavy vehicles such as buses and drinking water supply lorries have hard times arriving on time due to traffic congestion.

“There are leading private hospitals - Vijaya and Fortis along the same stretch and the ambulances are forced to wait for at least 15-20 minutes to reach the hospital. Until there is a permanent solution to the sewage overflow and potholes, the situation will remain the same,” said P Udhayabaskar, a motorist.

The zonal corporation officials did not respond to the calls, despite multiple attempts by DT Next.