Chennai: Delay in road construction disrupts daily life of Pananchalai Street residents

CHENNAI: Residents of Pananchalai Street in Adayalampattu village near Maduravoyal have been facing severe hardship for more than four months as the road work remains unfinished, with only gravel and manufactured sand spread across the stretch.

The poor condition of the road has affected the daily commute of residents, including school and college students and office-goers.

Residents said that the road was damaged two years ago when it was dug up for the construction of a storm water drain. Officials had assured that a tar road would be laid after the drainage work was completed. However, despite after a long period, road restoration work has not begun.

Ahead of the elections, only gravel was laid on the road as part of the road work. During the election campaign period, M-Sand was spread over the gravel for a stretch of around 200 metres. However, even after the elections, no further action has been taken to lay the road, residents alleged.

They further pointed out that during the rainy season, the M-Sand gets washed away along with rainwater, exposing the gravel stones and causing difficulties for two-wheeler riders. Priya, a resident, said, “Around 100 families live in this locality. We have to walk on this gravel filled road every day. People travelling on two-wheelers face immense hardship. In the evenings, when children are brought back from school, vehicles often lose balance because of the stones, posing a risk of accidents. It’s extremely difficult to use this road even during emergencies.”

When contacted, officials from the village panchayat office said: “The delay in laying the road was due to the non-availability of bitumen. Road work is under way on Perumal Koil Street. After that’s completed, a tar road around 350 metres long and 3.5 metres wide will be laid on Pananchalai Street within the next two weeks.”