Underground drainage construction - Part 4

Rain makes project delay more painful - The Hindu

Special Correspondent
— Photo: C. Venkatachalapathy

Residents of Vallalar Nagar in Cuddalore sowing seeds on the muddy road that remains unattended by the civic body, on Tuesday.

CUDDALORE: The slow pace of the Rs 40.40-crore underground drainage project in Cuddalore town has posed a lot of hardship to the residents. The onset of monsoon has made the situation worse.

The roads on which the pipeline has been laid are in bad shape. Deep trenches that have been dug up pose threat to the people.

Pedestrians, cyclists and two-wheeler riders have complained that they fall into the trenches and get hurt often. Four-wheelers are not able to enter the streets and are forced to take a detour.

The rain in the last few days has made the streets slushy.
Mock operation

According to residents, several representations had been made to the authorities concerned to speed up the work but in vain.

Frustrated by the delay, the All India Agricultural Workers’ Union, led by district secretary T.Ravindran, carried out a mock sowing operation on the inundated streets at Vallalar Nagar.

The Tamil Nadu Retired Employees’ Association too condemned the “lethargic attitude” of the officials. Senior citizens were the worst-affected, it said.

The project was launched last year and was scheduled to be completed within one year.

When contacted, Commissioner of Cuddalore Municipality Liaqath Ahmed Papa said the delay was owing to adverse soil condition.

Contractors were finding it difficult to complete the task because of high water table, ie., even if the trenches were dug for a depth of three feet, they got filled in no time by groundwater. Hence, it had become difficult to bale out the water from the entire stretch.

Mr. Papa said it might take another six months to complete the project .