The Hindu 19.11.2010
Corporation to provide facelift to damaged roads
COIMBATORE: The Coimbatore Corporation's Council cleared at an urgent meeting on Thursday proposals to provide a facelift to a number of damaged roads in the city, including those that had been dug up to lay underground drainage lines.
Three packages at a total estimate of Rs.5.2 crore were cleared by the Council in order to expedite the roads restoration process in the city. With complaints of damaged roads virtually cutting of pedestrian and vehicle movement, especially in areas where the drainage works were on, the Corporation said it would take up the works as soon as possible.
Roads in Ramnagar, Meena Estate and Kothari Layout, Tiruchi Road, Ukkadam Bypass Road are among the roads in more than 10 wards that would be taken up for tar-topping.
Some of the councillors complained that equally battered roads in their wards had not figured in the list released at the meeting. The officials told them that the roads in their wards were being taken in the next phases.
All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam member P. Rajkumar said the Corporation should speed up repairs to roads because these had turned slushy in the recent rain.
When the member wanted to know how much more time would the Corporation need to end the sufferings of the people, Commissioner Anshul Mishra said work orders for packages one and two would be given soon.
Corporation East Zone Chairman S.M. Samy said 21 roads in that area were in a bad shape following the drainage work.
Mr. Mishra said that as soon as house connections (drainage) were provided, that portion could be closed either under the Special Roads Project or under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission.
The Commissioner said he would look into the demand for filling up the well on a private land along Sathyamangalam Road, near the bus stand at Ganapathy.
Ward 72 councillor P. Shanthakumari complained of backflow of waste water into the houses because drainage lines laid and chambers constructed in 1980s were damaged now because of the sinking of clay soil.
