Chennai Citizen Connect: Pothole-riddled Kovilambakkam to Nemilichery road rankles residents

CHENNAI: Crying foul over years of official apathy, residents have sought urgent repair of badly damaged Kovilambakkam-Nemilicherry Road. Peoples residing in both Kovilambakkam and Nemilichery respectively have pointed out the stretch between the two areas are riddled with potholes, which are filled with sewage.

The two-kilometre road connects Kovilambakkam with Nemilichery in Chromepet and serves as an important link to Velachery. It is used daily by thousands of motorists, office-goers, students and residents from localities including Arulmurugan Nagar, Nandavanam Nagar and surrounding areas.

However, the road has remained in a deteriorated condition for several years, with large potholes. According to residents, repeated complaints to the St Thomas Mount Panchayat Union have yielded little result.

Officials reportedly informed them that although the road falls within the union limits, it is maintained by the Highways Department. Residents said the Highways Department has repeatedly assured them that repair work would be taken up, but no permanent solution has been implemented.

Karthick, a regular commuter from the locality, said, as a temporary measure, authorities have been filling potholes with construction debris and loose soil. But even after light rain, the material gets washed away, exposing the potholes once again.

Residents said the poor condition of the road has led to frequent minor accidents involving two-wheelers, besides causing severe inconvenience to daily commuters. Demanding a permanent solution, residents held a protest urging both the Highways Department and the St Thomas Mount Panchayat Union to immediately repair the road and restore safe commuting conditions.

Officials from the St Thomas Mount Panchayat Union said they have already taken up the issue with the Highways Department and expressed hope that the road would be repaired soon.