Delay in completing UGD work chokes traffic on GST Road
The Hindu
Madurai's long delay in completing UGD work on G.S.T. Road caused heavy traffic jam on Aug. 20, wedding season's first muhurtham. Despite police not allowing vehicles to AIADMK conference, traffic choked due to unfinished work. Carriage space near Alagappan Nagar Railway Gate shortened, vehicles piled up. 100 couples registered for weddings, had harrowing experience reaching shrine. Civic official said works to take 30-45 days, dust may cause respiratory problems. Corporation should complete works before rainy season.
Madurai Corporation’s long and undue delay in completing under ground drainage (UGD) work on the busy Grand Southern Trunk Road resulted in heavy traffic jam on Sunday.
Sunday being the first muhurtham (auspicious time for wedding) on August 20, after the Tamil month of Adi, a large number of people had planned to conduct weddings at the famous Sri Subramanian Swamy Temple in Thiruparankundram. Hence, to be wedded couples, accompanied by their relatives and friends, started reaching the shrine from the early hours. However, the unfinished work on TPK Road not only halted the free flow of vehicular movement, but also choked traffic for a long time.
Despite not allowing vehicles that arrived for the AIADMK conference, which are being held on Ring Road, inside the city, traffic choked on TPK Road for long hours due to the UGD works still under way, motorists said.
Road users, especially motorists, charged the civic administration with nonchalant attitude. On Sunday, the fewer police manning traffic on TPK Road said vehicles were stranded from Vasantha Nagar to Alagappan Nagar and beyond. The carriage space near Alagappan Nagar Railway Gate on TPK Road had been shortened due to the UGD works. Hence, vehicles piled up as the two-way stretch was converted into one-way,
The temple authorities told media persons that about 100 couples had registered their names for the wedding and, subsequently, moved over to Sashti Mandapam. While there were no hiccups in the temple, the wedding couples and their relatives had a harrowing experience in reaching the shrine due to the UGD work.
When The Hindu contacted a civic official, he said it would take another 30 to 45 days for the works to get completed. But the dust on the stretch does not seem to be settling for now and may cause respiratory problems to frequent users.
The Corporation authorities should ideally work out a schedule and ensure that it was completed before the rainy season, the public felt
While residents are worried over deaths due to diarrhoea in Vijayawada, officials still grapple to find the root cause. Contaminated drinking water supplied by VMC officials is the reason, insist people in the affected areas, but officials insist that efforts are on to identify the disease and that those with symptoms other than diarrhoea too are visiting the health camps.