Stormwater drain work creeps in Ashok Nagar

While the storm drains on both sides of the Jawaharlal Nehru Main Road are being built at a slow pace, there is a lack of caution to prevent accidents as a precaution. Barricades have not been done on the dug-out portion of the road. Road-relay work is yet to begin in the parts where work has been completed. This is particularly felt on the stretch between Laxman Shruti Junction and Ashoka Pillar Junction, as it is extremely busy, often even at night, through a stretch with freight-laden lorries from Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh to the south of Tamil Nadu. Passes through Tambaram to reach I. B. living in Ashok Nagar. “Unable to use the pavement,” says Sekar, “we get on the car, which is unsafe, especially at night.”

The state highway department has been carrying out this work for the last five months. The stormwater drain is being built three feet wide and six feet deep to improve its rainwater discharge capacity. Residents of nearby areas say that they have been eradicating the traffic chaos due to this work for a long time.

A state highway official says that “steps will be taken to complete the work as soon as possible.”