Underground power lines damaged, exposed during drain construction work

The live wires at several busy stretches pose the risk of electrocution to pedestrians and motorists, particularly during rain

Even as the Greater Chennai Corporation is racing against time to complete the storm-water drain project before the start of northeast monsoon, the underground electricity cables have been dug out and abandoned at several places. The pedestrians and motorists who commute on these roads run the risk of electrocution, particularly during rain.

As part of flood-mitigation work, the civic body had taken up storm-water drain construction on a massive scale in areas such as T. Nagar, Teynampet, Alwarpet, Kodambakkam and K.K. Nagar.

The civic body had identified nearly 2,500 missing links in the network of storm-water drains in Teynampet, Kodambakkam and Perungudi zones. While executing the project, several sewer lines were damaged and underground power cables punctured. After the completion of the work, the power cables were not relaid underground, leaving them exposed.

Residents welfare activist V.S. Jayaraman said busy streets such as G.N. Chetty Road, Thirumalai Pillai Road, Habibullah Road, Ramanathan Street, and Rameswaram Main Road were dug up and the power cables have been taken out.

A similar situation prevails on Arcot Road, Kodambakkam Main Road, Tara Chand Nagar, P.T. Rajan Salai in Kodambakkam zone and on South Avenue, Indira Nagar 1st Avenue, Gandhi Nagar Canal Bank Road and Kasturiba Nagar in Adyar zone.

The underground power cables have been bunched together in a dangerous manner along two important stretches of Pulianthope High Road and Nungambakkam High Road.