These new roads can break your back

CHENNAI: The city road conditions continue to be a nightmare for its denizens especially after the southwest monsoon. The irony is that most of these damaged roads were re-laid last year just before the northeast monsoon.

Roads that were laid and re-laid five years ago are still in a good condition whereas the roads that are barely a year old are damaged quickly because of the substandard material used and lack of time period for the roads to set.

“Earlier, the interior roads were re-laid with plastic mix tar or concrete roads that lasted for over 5 years. Only few damages occurred. But, the roads re-laid a year ago before the onset of the northeast monsoon have been damaged,” complained M Balakrishnan, a resident of Tansi Nagar in Velachery. “You can see the massive potholes on several streets of Tansi Nagar. It resulted in waterlogging even during mild showers, and this causes traffic chaos.”

Balakrishnan added that the roads on which vehicle population is high have not been re-laid properly. “Though we’ve raised complaints to the local body for patch works or re-laying, we haven’t received any response yet,” he said.

Despite the city corporation’s notice to the service department that road-cuts should not be done unless there was an emergency, the Metro Water board and Tangedco often dig up the road for various utility works. Roads wither away quickly due to poor quality, and coupled with stagnant water, it results in unchecked sludge that endangers safety of two-wheeled riders.

Two years ago, the Chennai Corporation re-laid interior and bus route roads at Kattukuppam in Ennore. Now, after the rain, they have been severely damaged due to the movement of heavy vehicles.

Residents are now forced to use alternative routes to reach the main road. Battered roads play havoc on motorists’ health, as many have complained of backache and neck pain due to pot holes.

S Kumaresan, a resident of Porkaaliamman Kovil Street at Kattukuppam, said, “Since the drainage water is discharged to the water body in the neighbourhood, at times the entire street is filled with sewage water. The heavy vehicle movement is adding to the poor quality roads. The storm water drain was constructed after the road was re-laid. But, the civic body failed to carry out the patch work.”

The local body re-lays interior and bus route roads at night. Though contractors raise barricades around the roads for it to dry, commuters do not allow the newly re-laid roads to settle. This damages the road, which would otherwise sustain for 3-5 years. There wouldn’t be waterlogging during the monsoon, stated contractors.

On the other hand, residents of north Chennai urge the Chennai corporation to re-lay the damaged roads in the locality before the next monsoon season hits.

“At least 98 roads have not been laid. Potholes have become a perennial issue especially after the monsoon season or even a drizzle,” fumed Ernavoor residents.

According to sources in the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC), the civic body has planned to re-lay 8,000 roads in the city, of which work orders were issued for 3,500 roads. Nearly 1,400 repair work have been completed so far.

When contacted, a senior GCC official told DT Next, “At least 6,000 road relay works will be completed before the northeast monsoon this year. Pending works will be taken up after monsoon. Damage to the newly re-laid road was caused due to many reasons including seepage. These issues will be rectified at the earliest. Also, Rs 10 lakh was allocated for each zone to repair the damage. We’ve formed ward committees to ensure that the muddy roads are re-laid within 2-3 months.”