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Time of India

Coimbatore roads turn from bad to worse after rain

Photo by P Sreedharan COIMBATORE: The condition of roads within Coimbatore city limits has turned from bad to worse following the heavy monsoon spells over the last two days. The slushy roads had in turn made motoring risky and daunting for the public. Much of the damage is attributed to underground drainage (UGD) and water supply pipeline works. Even months after these works were completed in several areas, the road dug out for the purpose were not relaid making them unmotorable after rain. Localities such as GN Mills, Gandhi Nagar, Ganapathy Maanagar and Vilankurichi Road are among the worst affected. With southwest monsoon rendering the roads slushy and inundated, commuters were forced to endure prolonged traffic snarls. R Mahendran of Annai Velankanni Nagar shared his ordeal: 'I take Vilankurichi Road daily to reach Ganapathy for work. It's riddled with potholes and uneven surfaces. During rain, the roads get inundated, concealing the potholes which increases the risk of accidents,'' he said. Though budget allocations were made for repair of several of these damaged stretches, only a few have been executed. 'All our complaints have gone unheard. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Write Better, Work Smarter With This Desktop App Grammarly Install Now Undo No action has been taken despite repeated follow-ups,' said M Devendran, secretary of the Coimbatore District Road Safety Association. He added, 'There is a complete lack of coordination among departments. The city corporation and the state highways department keep shifting blame, particularly on arterial roads like the stretch from GN Mills to Ganapathy via Urumandampalayam. The roads were first dug up for water pipelines and again for the UGD. After the work, only loose sand or clay was dumped, which turns dangerously slippery during rains.' He pointed out that laying roads during rainfall compromised quality. 'There's poor bonding between bitumen and aggregates during the curing process, which makes the surface prone to erosion.' Other severely damaged roads include Bharathi Nagar, Peelamedu, Appanaickenpalayam, Thudiyalur, Udayampalayam, Masakalipalayam, Nallampalayam and Vellakinaru. These roads often serve as vital alternative routes to ease congestion on the Mettupalayam Road, the Sathyamangalam Road, the Avinashi Road and the Trichy Road. Residents have also expressed concern that the reopening of schools and colleges could worsen the situation, especially for students forced to use these damaged roads.