Protruding manhole covers pose safety risk in Puducherry

PUDUCHERRY:

After dug-up roads and potholes, protruding manhole covers on arterial roads in the city have become the latest death trap and continue to pose a serious risk to motorists. The manholes constructed for quick access to the underground drainage chambers are above the road surface and several accidents involving two-wheeler riders have been reported in the recent past.

Take the case of the arterial Villupuram Road. The road surface from Indira Gandhi square to Arumparthapuram is uneven. To make matters worse for vehicle owners especially two-wheeler riders, the raised manhole covers on the road, make it doubly difficult for motorists.

“A protruding manhole could turn out to be quite dangerous. The manhole covers are located intermittently on the stretch and motorists have a tough time negotiating them. If motorists avoid one, they run into the other. The manhole covers are above the road surface and two-wheeler riders driving on the stretch try to avoid hitting them and end up hitting the divider resulting in serious injuries. If a person driving a car decides to jam the brakes in the last second, the consequences could be much more,” said an urban planner.

Ironically, several government offices including the office of the Chief Electoral Officer and the Primary Health Centre at Reddiyarpalayam are located on the stretch.

“The protruding manhole covers also highlight lack of coordination between the Public Works Department which looks after road repairs and the agency’s Public Health Division. Manhole chambers on Villupuram Road, Needarajapaiyer Street, and several streets on the Boulevard are above the road surface. The PWD has to get them corrected and ensure that they are on uniform level of the roads to avoid bumpy rides,” says J. Khadar, a resident.

According to IRC 98-2011: Guidelines on Accommodation of Utility Services on Roads in Urban Areas of the Indian Roads Congress, the apex body of the country for laying down design standards for the construction of roads, “the manhole covers should not protrude over the road surface and should be fixed in level with the existing road. In the course of subsequent renewals of road, the level of manhole covers should also be raised to the level of road. The manhole covers should be so maintained as not to endanger safety. The manhole covers shall be strengthened by providing M40 grade interlocking paving blocks or M40 grade concrete surrounding manhole to serve as a dampener for impact of vehicular roads.”

“The lid of manholes protruding from the road level is causing a definite death trap. At night the chances of a collision resulting in fatal accidents are high. Road safety within the city limits leaves much to be desired. The manhole covers should be laid property and the authorities must review the ground-level situation before it gets worse,” says S. Nadarajan, a senior citizen.