Sludge, thy name is road at Porur

 

Sludge and not road  is what the Chennai corporation has to offer as a vehicle trail here. Residents are frustrated over the civic body’s inaction despite repeated reminders on the woeful conditions in which they were living.

 

N. Vimala was running behind her seven-year-old daughter, who was walking barefoot in the sludge, not heeding her mother’s warning. The sludge is a mixture of rainwater, sewage and mud. She is developing skin allergies,” said Vimala of her daughter.

 

The affected areas include Wireless Station Road, Ambal Nagar, Ramakrishna Nagar, Bharathy Nagar, Vigneshwara Nagar and Jaya Bharathi Nagar among others.

 

Residents in these localities recounted to DC how they had proper bitumen topped roads, complete with reflectors. “That was before the me-tro water started digging for underground sewage line around a year ba-ck,” said S. Nagarajan, a resident.

 

With the metro water camping for weeks together, building sumps and laying underground pipes, the roads slowly turned from one made of bitumen into one of slush.

“It has been a year since and metro water has still not completed its work. Whereas in a few areas, the work is complete;  but when we ask local officials they told us that they will only relay only after the work is finished,” said B. Parthasarathy, a resident.

 

Repeated calls to ward 153 councillor K. Latha for a reaction failed while the Valasaravakkam zonal officer, was occupied in a meeting till late on Tuesday and was not reachable.