CHENNAI: Traffic was thrown out of gear on the busy GST Road in Chromepet on Monday morning after residents of Kodhandam Nagar staged a flash road roko, alleging that drinking water supply had been disrupted for the past 15 days.
The protest took place in Ward 27 under Zone 2 of the Tambaram Corporation. Residents claimed the civic body had failed to supply piped drinking water to the area for more than two weeks, forcing families to face severe hardships during peak summer.
According to the protesters, repeated complaints to the ward councillor, corporation officials, and zonal authorities yielded no response. Irked by the official apathy, residents gathered at the junction of the Chennai-Tiruchy National Highway and Thiruneermalai Main Road, blocking traffic with empty water cans.
The sudden blockade during morning peak hours caused massive traffic snarls on the GST Road and the Pallavaram-Nagalkeni-Thiruneermalai Road, leaving hundreds of commuters stranded for over half an hour.
Police and corporation officials rushed to the spot and held talks with the protesters. Though officials initially offered to supply drinking water through tanker lorries, the residents rejected the proposal. They pointed out that several streets in their locality were too narrow for water tankers to enter and demanded the immediate restoration of the regular pipeline supply.
Following further discussions and a firm assurance from the officials that pipeline supply would be restored immediately, the residents withdrew their 30-minute protest and dispersed.