Coimbatore: Consumer forum urges CM Vijay to enforce road re-laying rules

COIMBATORE: Alleging widespread non-compliance with High Court directions on maintaining road levels during relaying works, the Coimbatore Consumer Cause (CCC) has appealed to Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay to intervene and ensure strict enforcement of existing norms across all local bodies.

In a representation to the Chief Minister, K Kathirmathiyon, secretary of CCC, claimed that roads in several parts of the state continue to be re-laid without proper milling or scraping of the existing surface, resulting in a gradual increase in the Finished Road Level (FRL).

After the issue was raised earlier through a public interest litigation, the government informed the Madras High Court that all local bodies had been instructed not to increase road levels while relaying roads. Subsequently, the Chief Secretary and the Commissioner of Municipal Administration issued directions requiring civic bodies to maintain the existing road level after relaying.

However, these instructions are not implemented by local bodies, creating difficulties for residents, as houses that were originally above road level gradually ended up below the road surface after successive relaying works. It also increased the risk of rainwater entering residential properties, obstructing access to buildings and causing long term damage to infrastructure.

Seeking corrective action, Kathirmathiyon urged the Chief Minister to direct all local bodies to remove excess road layers wherever relaying had been carried out in violation of the prescribed norms and restore the FRL to its original level. The forum also sought recovery of the rectification cost from officials responsible for permitting such violations, as penalising contractors alone would not address the hardship faced by residents.

Further, the consumer forum stated that a legal notice issued in September 2025 to the then Secretary, Municipal Administration and Water Supply Department, the Director of Municipal Administration and the Commissioner of Coimbatore City Municipal Corporation proposing contempt proceedings for alleged non-compliance has evoked no response.