Road users urge Salem Corporation to close sump in Ward 17

Commuters and those visiting hospitals and hotels on the SKS Hospital-Kaliyapillai Thoppu Road Junction in Ward 17 of the Corporation have demanded closing the sump and re-laying the road to avoid traffic congestion and accidents.

Commuters and those visiting hospitals and hotels on the SKS Hospital-Kaliyapillai Thoppu Road Junction in Ward 17 of the Corporation have demanded closing the sump and re-laying the road to avoid traffic congestion and accidents.

The SKS Hospital-Kaliyapillai Thoppu Road Junction is known for hospitals, hotels, and other commercial establishments and thousands of people use the road every day leading to heavy traffic from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. As this is a low lying area, during rain, water stagnates. Hence, the Salem Corporation started constructing a sump nine months ago to store the rainwater and to pump out the water to avoid stagnation. But the work is going on in a slow manner, and people suffer from traffic congestion in the locality.

S. Vivek, a resident of Fairlands, said, “I use this road every day to reach Salem New Stand, where my office is located. But for the past nine months, I struggle to pass the road. On rainy days, water stagnates in the pit, and people who are new to this area fall down. We need the sump to pump out the rainwater. It looks like the work is completed. But the pit is not properly closed. People coming to hotels and hospitals park their vehicles near the sump, which creates more traffic congestion in the locality. So the Corporation should complete the works soon and re-lay the road to avoid accidents.”

Ward 17 councillor D. Rajeswari and Hasthampatti zonal chairman S. Umarani said they would look into the issue.

Hasthampatti zone officials said that on rainy days, rainwater would be diverted to the sump, and when it filled up, an automatic motor fixed in that sump would pump the water, and through the pipeline attached to the sump, the water would reach the drain on Omalur Main Road. Sumps were under constructed at six locations in Ward 17. Within a month, all the works would be completed and the road would be laid, the officials added.