Motorists demanded the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) to speed up the work to repair the 60-km stretch of Grand Southern Trunk Road between Paranur and Tindivanam. This portion was damaged during the recent rain, with the top layer being washed away.
R. Muralimohan, secretary, Chengalpattu District Farmers Association, said seven people died in a road accident on the stretch recently. “People who are involved in milder accidents don’t even give complaints. There are just too many accidents due to the awful condition of the road. It needs urgent repairs and regular maintenance. The humongous traffic jams that the road is notorious for is also partly due to its poor condition. This Pongal too, we will have a traffic jam,” he said.
T.R. Srinivasan, who runs a coffee outlet near Maduranthakam, said there were very badly-damaged stretches on the road where even two-wheelers get stuck in potholes, and after the rain, the condition had only become worse. “I use the road every day. Though repairs are carried out on a regular basis, the road can withstand the traffic for 15 days or a month at most and becomes damaged again,” he said.
Official sources in the NHAI said the contractor was carrying out the rectification of potholes. “We had to slow it down due to the rain. So far, work on around 5,000 sq.m of road has been completed at a cost of ₹21 lakh. The entire stretch will be relaid soon. Already, a portion of the work has been completed at a cost of ₹2.63 crore. It is now time for relaying the road. We will take up work shortly,” the official said.
