Concerns over road damage and UGD delays surface at Tiruchi Corporation Council

Complaints over damaged roads and delays in implementing the underground drainage (UGD) project dominated the Tiruchi Corporation Council meeting held on Monday.

Chairing the meeting, Mayor M. Anbazhagan said that the construction of the sewage treatment plant at Panjapur, with a capacity of 100 million litres per day, would be completed by March. A super sucker machine had been procured to clear blockages in the sewage network more effectively.

Several councillors pointed out that UGD works had not been undertaken in certain areas, while in locations where works had been completed, dug-up roads were still awaiting restoration. Similar concerns were raised about roads damaged during the execution of the drinking water project.

Councillors V. Ramadoss and K. Ambikapathy highlighted that several newly laid roads, including Wireless Road, were damaged during the monsoon and called for immediate patchwork. Responding, the Mayor said ₹20 lakh per zone had been sanctioned for road repairs and assured that additional funds would be allocated as required.

Councillors S. Suresh, representing ward 35, and V. Jawahar, representing ward 2, complained that their wards had not been included in the ongoing Phase IV of the UGD project. Mr Anbazhagan said the left-out areas would be covered under Phase V and that tenders would be floated before March.

DMK councillor Khajamalai Vijay, representing ward 60, alleged undue delay in commencing the Phase IV UGD works covering a three-km stretch in his area and accused the Mayor of neglecting his ward. He later staged a walkout.

Responding, the Mayor said the delay was due to the presence of a rocky subsurface, which required chemical blasting to execute the works. He added that a cost estimate was being prepared and attributed the delay partly to the monsoon.

Mr. Ambikapathy urged the Corporation to initiate steps to construct an elevated corridor near the Integrated Bus Stand at Panjapur, stating that the stretch had become accident-prone. He referred to a recent incident in which a six-year-old boy was run over by a lorry near the bus stand on Sunday.

In reply, the Mayor said the project fell under the purview of the National Highways Authority of India and that a detailed project report was being prepared. He suggested that AIADMK councillors submit a representation to the Central government to expedite the process.

Corporation Commissioner L. Madhubalan and Deputy Mayor G. Dhivya were present.