Pothole accident: Highways lodges complaint against telecom for illegal road cut

According to sources in the Construction and Maintenance Wing, the company had availed permission for a road cut at Little Mount between September and October. The permission had expired on October 5. However, the company’s workers illegally dug up the road on October 31 without getting fresh permission from either the Highways Department or the city police. “Due to rain, they simply closed the pit using the excavated materials,” sources said.

The complaint was lodged after the police issued notice to the Highways Department seeking details on the works under way at the accident spot.

The accident that killed the techie, Mohammad Yunus (32), led to an uproar over the poor upkeep of city roads, which has not only made travelling cumbersome but also dangerous. Highways officials said they have taken up filling of potholes on city roads under their control. “It is tough to carry out repair work due to the rain. We will use either concrete or bitumen to fill them up,” the official said.

Meanwhile, the Greater Chennai Corporation also initiated the work to fill up potholes after the social media outrage.