The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Residents irked by poor roadwork

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Apr 16, 2006

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Residents irked by poor roadwork

K. Manikandan

Alandur municipality accused of doing little to solve problem "Bitumen-topped roads were re-laid long after they were dug up for laying sewer lines"

TAMBARAM: Residents of Lakshmi Nagar, Nanganallur, are sore over the shoddy road restoration works by telephone operators after digging the roads to lay cables. They are also unhappy with the Alandur Municipality for doing very little to solve the problem.

The residents said the bitumen-topped roads were re-laid long after they were dug up for laying sewer lines. In the last couple of months, both government-owned and private telephone operators dug up the roads to lay cables for landline and Internet connections.

While it is the duty of private operators to restore the roads, Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited pays a hefty sum to the municipality to execute the restoration works. While private operators pay around Rs. 5,000 for every kilometre, BSNL pays a much higher sum to all local bodies.

The Lakshmi Nagar residents wondered why the roads were not restored even two months after the laying of cables. They said the workers employed by contractors merely filled the trenches with the dug-up mud. In some areas, however, the roads were properly restored. The Alandur Municipality was notorious for its roads. And even what little was left of the good roads was being damaged, they added.

Rajamani, a resident, said the workers pushed the mud into storm water drains. While the local body made it clear that residents who discharged sewage or damaged the storm water drains would be penalised, they wanted to know whether the same action would be initiated against the contractors.

V. Rama Rao, president, United Forum of Residents Welfare Associations of Nanganallur, said they planned to stage demonstrations in front of the corporate offices of the telephone operators if they failed to undertake proper road restoration works.

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