CHENNAI: After running from pillar to post, the residents of Pattalam were forced to reach out to the Greater Chennai Corporation Commissioner J Radhakrishnan seeking his intervention to complete the stormwater drain works. And after a pause for over three months, the works have been resumed.

Alleging that the local corporation contractor and Metro Water officials delayed the works, the residents complained that sewer was being drained directly into the stormwater drain due to the absence of sewer lines in about 60 houses in the area.

“The stormwater drain work was completed across the city ahead of the northeast monsoon. But, due to a lack of communication among various departments, residents of Perambur Barracks road in Pattalam were struggling with sewage overflow as they were letting the waste into the newly constructed stormwater drain for almost two months. The final relief came after the instruction of the corporation commissioner,” said V Sathiabalan, a civic activist.

They alleged that whenever the residents contacted the corporation or the metro water officials, they used to pass the buck on each other and at times blame the local contractor.

When DT Next visited the spot, the local residents said that the delay in sewer connection had affected at least 60 houses and an adjacent mosque. There must be pipelines from each household that should be connected to the main sewer line. In many streets, the drainage is let into stormwater drain through a single connection, the residents said.

“The number of people, who used to attend the mosque for prayers, had alarmingly reduced due to the sewer stench and lack of washing facility,” said a source associated with the mosque.

When contacted, a senior official attached to the metro water said the corporation contractor is responsible for the construction of the stormwater drain, but in the process they broke the sewer line leading to the pollution. The official said the new sewer line works were delayed due to the festivals and fresh spells of rains.