GCC fails to fix half the interior roads before deadline

CHENNAI: With barely a month left for the northeast monsoon, city residents are fuming as the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) fails to expedite work on road restoration. Of the 3,908 interior roads, only 1,862 were re-laid in the past two months, leaving less than half the job done.

The snail-paced progress has turned neighbourhoods like KK Nagar, Thuraipakkam, West Mambalam, and Vadapalani into stretches of pothole-ridden roads, where commuters grapple with bumpy rides and dust-filled stretches.Despite setting a September 15 deadline, the civic body failed to re-lay several stretches after completing stormwater drain, sewage, and TNEB works, leaving residents bracing for another nightmare monsoon.

When TOI visited various interior roads in the city, they were found in a pathetic state, riddled with potholes and unfinished underground works, making daily commuting extremely difficult as these interior roads connect neighbourhoods.“The interior roads were dug up in February for stormwater drain and sewage works, which were supposed to be completed in May. But snail-paced work has delayed road re-laying.

It has created unsafe conditions, people have fallen, and commuting has become very difficult,” said N Balu of Core Team Balamurugan Garden Residents’ Group, Thuraipakkam.

Due to delays and poor coordination, residents say they are the ones suffering. The disruption directly affects thousands, and with the monsoon approaching, the situation is set to worsen unless concrete measures are taken immediately.In KK Nagar, Ashok Nagar, and Vadapalani, road conditions have deteriorated further after the recent downpour.

“Instead of calling it KK Nagar, the govt should rename it ‘Kondum Kuzhiyum’ Nagar because of the terrible road conditions all these years,” rued G Venkatesan, a resident of Munusamy Road. Locals allege that the corporation has neglected interior roads while focusing only on bus route roads. Whenever concerns are raised about poor road conditions, officials either promise to relay them or blame metro rail construction.“The stretch from KK Nagar to Panagal Park is in pathetic shape. It’s full of potholes and bumps, forcing us to ride very slowly, otherwise our vehicles will be damaged. Instead of re-laying roads, the corporation dumps debris and spreads stones, making it risky, especially for two-wheelers,” said K Murugesan, an auto driver commuting between KK Nagar and T Nagar.Several roads in West Mambalam were re-laid six months ago, but within days, the corporation and metro water board dug them up again. Though the works are complete, the roads remain unrestored. Residents question that if they are going to dig up roads again, why waste taxpayers’ money on re-laying them in the first place?Deputy Mayor M Mahesh Kumar said, “We have instructed officials to speed up re-laying works, which are now being intensified. A notice has been issued to service departments to stop further road cuts from August 31. In case of emergency, concerned departments must get permission from corporation officials before carrying out any road work.”