Tamil Nadu - Coimbatore   

Opposition calls for road repairs

Special Correspondent

COIMBATORE: Battered by rain since June, roads in the city and suburbs are turning riskier by the day. Even a half-a-km drive proves to be perilous as roads have numerous potholes that threaten to kill or maim motorists.

Encroachments

The Opposition in the Coimbatore Corporation has demanded repair works to prevent loss of lives on roads. The Highways Department too have planned repair works but are waiting for the withdrawal of monsoon. Besides, encroachments on major stretches such as the Marudamalai Road hamper efforts to widen them and make them safe.

The best description in recent times of roads in the city came on Sunday from a doctor and humourist, G. Lakshmipathi. At the inaugural of a seminar on orthopaedics, he remarked: "Actually these are potholes connected by asphalt". Viewed from the position of a hospital, "every motorist is a potential customer".

Re-laying

The Corporation is experimenting with concrete mix to fill up potholes as rain and the volume of traffic cause bitumen mix to wear off quickly. But the number of potholes is so high that it calls for re-laying of roads once monsoon withdraws.

While problems on main roads grabs the attention of the authorities, those in the sub roads such as the ones in Ram Nagar, R.S. Puram and Saibaba Colony persist.

Official sources in the Corporation said on Friday that the civic body had taken note of the damage on 100 Feet Road and steps would be taken to carry out repairs. But a number of smaller roads that still have a large volume of traffic remain a shambles.

Cyclists trying to avoid potholes land in front of cars and buses.

Damaged stretches force motorists to violate lane rules and cause frayed tempers on roads, especially during peak hours when there is a mad rush to reach offices and schools.

Memorandum submitted

The Opposition led by its leader in the Council, K.P. Jagannathan, and the Deputy Mayor, K. Raghupathy, recently submitted a memorandum to the Collector, S. Kosalaraman, appealing for measures to eliminate the risk on roads. The memorandum said an appeal had also been made to higher authorities at Chennai.

The Opposition also requested the Collector for distribution of relief to the rain-affected people in the Corporation limits.

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