The Hindu : Bad road forces Puthagaram residents to take 13-km detour

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Sep 13, 2002

Southern States

Southern States - Tamil Nadu-Chennai

Bad road forces Puthagaram residents to take 13-km detour

By K. Lakshmi

CHENNAI Sept. 12. In spite of a decade-long battle, the residents of Puthagaram, a colony off the Inner Ring Road near Kolathur, are yet to succeed in their effort to get a key road facility that will save them a 13-km detour, and a canal that will carry lake floodwaters away.

Though the access roads to the Teacher's colony, Kolathur, are blacktopped, the Cuddapah Road that heads towards Puthagaram is filled with trenches and in dire need of repair.

The Cuddapah Road links Kolathur and Ambattur, a major facility that is, however, giving a bumpy ride to roadusers, including residents of Puthagaram and Madanankuppam.

The road is vital as it reduces the distance to three km. ``Due to the bad condition of the road, we have to use the route that runs across Padi and travel extra distance of 13 km,'' says S. Dayalan, secretary, Puthagaram Youth Exnora.

The residents have also been fighting for the construction of three culverts to channelise water that is released from the Korattur Lake and the road that was damaged by heavy shower in 1990.

Since then, the residents struggle to travel across the roads that are flooded with rain and water from the lake, a prospect which worries them with the monsoon expected in a few weeks. ``It is a difficult task for us to access schools, hospitals and we are left with waist-level water to wade through,'' says Balamurugesan, a Puthagaram resident.

Moreover, the path to a graveyard that is situated beyond the culvert on AMM Road is also difficult during the deluge, the residents complain. About 350 students of the Soka Ikeda College, who have to commute on the road, also have a tiring ride everyday.

The plan to extend the bus route to the Teachers' Colony through Puthagaram has not been implemented owing to poor condition of the road and the delay in construction of the canal on AMM Road.

Following the frequent petitions from the public, pipelines have been laid as a tentative measure across two culverts. But, the culvert on the AMM Road has been covered with gravel temporarily by the residents.

The Highways and Rural Works Department has issued two tenders in the past two years for the project worth Rs.16 crores. But, they were cancelled due to contractual disputes, much to the disappointment of the residents.

Meanwhile, the department has started construction on parts of Cuddapah Road due to the threat of public protest in end- September. But, the road still suffers for want of repair. Moreover, the mound of stones heaped on either side of the road for over eight months has become a factor affecting safety for the roadusers.

On the various interconnected problems, A.E.Palaniswamy, assistant engineer, Sembium division, Highways Department, said: ``As the construction of the culvert is under the jurisdiction of the Public Works Department (PWD), the road cannot be repaired until their work is finished.''

But the PWD has in turn blamed the Revenue Department for the delay in the acquisition of land that stretch to about 4 km.

As the tussle between Highways Department and PWD remains unsolved, the construction of the canal is set for more delays.

For the residents, monsoon is close at hand, and their demand is for at least one completed culvert as a temporary solution.

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