CHENNAI: Residents of Gandhi Road and the adjoining service road over the Pazhavanthangal road under bridge (RUB) have been grappling with sewage overflow for the past two years due to a blocked drain, sources said.
Poor maintenance of the drain was cited as the main reason for the problem. Sewage stagnation and overflow onto the road led to a persistent stench, mosquito breeding and health concerns in the area.
Amid this, works to construct a new sewage drain on the Gandhi Road service road are under way. As part of the project, stretches of the road have been dug up, with heaps of excavated soil dumped along the roadside, causing inconvenience to motorists and affecting the smooth flow of traffic.
Two-wheeler riders have found it difficult to commute on the damaged stretch, residents said, adding that elderly people and women in particular are struggling to navigate the road. Traders running eateries, fruit stalls and tea shops along the stretch complained that dust kicked up by passing vehicles is affecting their business.
Residents urged that the sewage and road works be completed properly and without delay, and that the road be relaid immediately after the works to ease vehicle movement.
A senior official of the Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (CMWSSB) said, “Two sewage drains in the area had been damaged. These were repaired and connected over the past two days, with the work completed on Sunday. The Greater Chennai Corporation will take up the work of re-laying the road.”