Resolve flooding issue permanently: Residents
The Perungalathur subway was inaugurated in 2019 by linking the National Highway to the railway station
Ankle-deep water in the subway cleared after 4 days
CHENNAI: Commuters using the railway services at Perungalathur have been suffering silently, as the subway gets flooded with rainwater even with just a mild shower.
Since there is no foot-over-bridge, they jump between the platforms to cross the rail tracks, which is a serious safety hazard.
“It took 4 days for the railways to remove flooded water from the subway last week,” rued a resident. “We need a permanent solution since the subway is the only way to reach the National Highway and the railway platform.”
The Perungalathur subway was inaugurated in 2019 by linking the National Highway to the railway station. Before this, people had to cross the rail tracks, which had led to several fatal accidents.
The subway came as a huge relief, as those who alighted at Perungalathur from private buses would use the subway to reach the railway station. However, during the recent rains, the subway was flooded with ankle-deep water (over 2 feet). “It had no lights either,” the resident added. “Though it was cleared out eventually, why took officials so many days to do that?”
Because of this, people have started crossing the tracks and jumping between platforms. But not everyone can do that, as several young women working in the nearby IT park are forced to use the dark subway.
Mahendra Boopathi, president of the Perungalathur Welfare Association, said, “If it rains even for a few hours, the subway gets flooded since there are many leakages in it. We had requested both the railways and the Tambaram corporation to pump out the excess water but there was no response from any of them for days. So, we decided to pump out the water using a motor by ourselves.”
Sources in the Tambaram corporation said that the subway was maintained only by the railways and hence, it was not their responsibility.
