Rain-battered roads a nightmare for motorists in Chennai's several areas

The rains have left the roads badly battered in many parts of the city, particularly stretches of EVR Periyar Salai, Jawaharlal Nehru Salai near Kolathur and Arumbakkam, MTH Road, Tiruvottiyur High Road, Paper Mills Road, Dr Ambedkar College Salai and Perambur Barracks Road giving a tough time to motorists.

Several interior roads in Kolathur, Anna Nagar, Villivakkam, Perambur, T Nagar and Velachery witnessed heavy water logging during the recent spell of rains and are severely battered.

The Highways department milled stretches of Jawaharlal Nehru Salai between Padi and Retteri last month but did not relay the roads, complained K Santhosh, a resident of Kolathur. “After the recent rains, the road has been further damaged and many bikers skid and fall,” he said.

With several streetlights remaining switched off after last week’s rains, the motorists are finding it difficult to ride through rain-battered Paper Mills Road. “Continuous rains have led to the peeling of the bitumen layer and road surface are severely damaged with potholes in Anna Nagar,” said Jai Ganesh, a resident of Park Road at Anna Nagar.

People have to bear the brunt for the next few weeks as road repairs are ruled out due to the prevailing inclement weather, said a corporation official. “However, the corporation workers are filling up potholes across the city,” the official added.