Coimbatore residents seek better planning from Corporation amid repeated road excavations

Residents in Coimbatore express frustration over repeated road excavations and incomplete restoration due to lack of civic body coordination.

Residents across Coimbatore city have raised concerns over repeated road excavations and inadequate restoration, citing a lack of coordination between departments of the civic body executing the utility works.

S. Balakrishnan of Ramasamy Street in K.K. Pudur, said the same stretch was dug up multiple times within a year. “The 24/7 water supply project involved road cutting last October. We were told patchwork would follow, but it never happened. Soon after, stormwater drain work began, which damaged the newly-laid drinking water connections of a few houses,” he said.

M. Moideen from R.S. Puram pointed to Dr. Krishnasamy Mudaliyar Road, which was completely relaid after UGD work less than a year ago but was recently dug up for drinking water pipeline work.

DMK councillor A. Radhakrishnan said that in parts of Sanganoor, UGD pipelines were laid over a decade ago, but house service connections are being provided only now. “Frequent blocks were reported. During inspections, we found that in some locations, the main pipeline itself was missing. These stretches now require fresh excavation,” he said.

Residents said the absence of a coordinated schedule among departments has resulted in newly laid roads being repeatedly dug up. Restoration is often delayed or only partially completed, causing disruptions, especially during rains.

According to the Coimbatore Corporation, the city has a total road network of 3,367.87 km. Of this, 133.9 km are currently being relaid. An additional 128.15 km of old or damaged roads have been identified for upgrades. Another 852.93 km of roads dug up for utility works are also slated for relaying, subject to fund sanction.

Corporation Commissioner M. Sivaguru Prabakaran said there are practical difficulties in executing all projects simultaneously across the city. “We are working to ensure better planning and coordination. Temporary restoration using wet mix macadam (WMM) is being done to keep roads motorable, especially during rains. This week alone, 15 roads have been patched following public complaints,” he said.