Residents upset over drains being constructed without removing electric poles

The Directorate of Town Panchayats has been widening storm-water drains along Chittoor-Cuddalore Highway in Kannamangalam near Polur without removing the Tangedco poles.

This comes on the heels of a similar incident near Katpadi in Vellore, where the Corporation paved a stretch using cement concrete without re-locating a parked two-wheeler.

Funded under the Tamil Nadu Rural Roads Improvement Scheme 2024-25, the total cost for projects taken up in Kannamangalam is ₹1.2 crore. Out of this, ₹15.46 lakh has been allotted for the drain work. A video of the work being carried out on Mosque Street without relocating the poles had gone viral on social media. Residents said that a new drain had been a long-standing demand as the town was flooded during the monsoon, forcing them to move to temporary shelters.

If the electric poles are not removed, they would block the discharge of floodwater into the drains, leading to inundation once again, they said.

Officials said the contractor had been asked to complete the work within the stipulated time. The drain, which will be four feet in width and depth, will be connected to Kannamangalam lake, they said.

“We have made an online request to Tangedco for relocation of poles, and are awaiting a response,” said K. Munuswamy, Executive Officer, Kannamangalam town panchayat.