CHENNAI: The newly expanded Chennai Corporation has its work cut out, considering the state of the localities on the outskirts of the city. One such area is Maduravoyal, which has been facing a plethora of problems for the last few years. Entering Maduravoyal through Alapakkam Main Road is an ordeal in itself. The road is narrow, and does not look like the thoroughfare it is meant to be. This road connects Arcot Road to Poonamalee High road, and sees a lot of heavy-vehicular traffic through the day. The surface is cratered throughout the entire stretch. Even two days after the rains have stopped, ankle-deep water still stands; sewage water has overflowed from the blocked drains and added to the misery of residents and commuters.These problems do not appear only because of the rains. The roads by themselves are bad. When City Express visited the interiors of Maduravoyal, the situation was found to be pathetic. Roads in many colonies simply do not exist. There is no black topping – the entire road has been transformed to slush. K Sampath, a resident of the area since 1993, says “These issues have been plaguing the area for the last two years. Previously, they used to do at least a temporary patchwork. Now, even that has not been done.”Areas like Ashtalakshmi Nagar, Sri Devi Nagar, Krishna Nagar and Ganga Nagar are the worst affected. Since the sewage is blocked and has nowhere to go, the dirty water has overflowed and forces residents and students of the nearby school to wade through it to get to their destination. It is near impossible to commute to the interiors without a personal vehicle. Ezhumalai, an auto driver and resident of the area for the past 20 years, says, “I spend more than `2,000 a month on servicing my auto rickshaw, if not more. It is very difficult to operate here.”Every few feet on Ashtalakshmi Nagar Main Road, one can find potholes as wide as the road itself. Due to the rain, they are filled with water. In one of the streets, an iron rod sticks out dangerously in the middle of the road. Ganga Nagar residents say that they are suffering due to the bad smell and unhygienic conditions caused by sewage overflow. The roads around the ration shop which cater to the localities is also in a bad condition, and many people have lost their rations due to slipping and falling in the slush. Similarly, many minor accidents occur on these roads on an everyday basis.Residents also report that for the last two months, streetlights have not been working. This has led to many cases of theft and jewel snatching. S Gangadharan, a resident of the area and owner of a shop on Alapakkam Main Road, says, “There have been a few murders here in the last few years. There is no safety for women on the roads, and anti-social activities have increased. There are not enough policemen to handle the problems we face.”When residents approach the authorities, they find that they are in a state of limbo between being a municipality and being a part of the Corporation. An official of the municipality said to City Express on condition of anonymity, “We have started pumping out water using agro motors and work will progress shortly. As for the bad state of the roads, we can start work on them only after the Metro Water finishes their pipe laying work. In the next two months, the Corporation will look to speed up work.”
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