CHENNAI:Storm water drain construction in Anna Nagar’s Shanthi Colony, Y Block, 8th and 9th Street (Zone V of Chennai Corporation) began over three weeks ago. This offered residents some hope that there would be no flooding on their streets during the monsoons. But their problems have already started.The project has been given on contract to New Infrastructure, and the same company is carrying out close to 185 projects all over Chennai, 75 of them in Zone V itself. The work on storm water drains has been done in bits and pieces, and there seems to be no continuity.Work began first by digging trial pits to figure out where the Metro Water pipelines lay. Why the Metro Water officials could not have been approached for the plans is a mystery. Saroja, the project manager, says, “The plans have never been given out. The officials have been informed so that they will take care of repairs if anything happens.” Once the digging started in earnest, one of the smaller pipes was broken accidentally.The earth which was dug out has not been properly removed. With moderate to heavy rainfall almost every night, the thick mud turns to slush and poses a threat to motorists and pedestrians alike. Over the past week, at least three people on bikes have skid on the slush and fallen on 9th Street. Residents are wary of involving themselves in the issue, as many have encroached the frontage of their residences on to the road.Colonel Jason Peter who has retired from the Indian Army and now works for an IT company, says, “The work that has begun, has to be finished properly. They should finish the work completely in one place, rather than leaving it unfinished in many places. Residents with cars can traverse the area easily, but what about those with two wheelers? It is dangerous for them.”A mountain of debris blocks more than half of 8th Street. Valli (name changed), who runs an ironing shop on the street, says, “I see a lot of the residents struggling to use this road. Since the entrances of the houses are blocked, people can go in only by using a narrow board and the elders find it difficult to move around. Kids who used to play here are also not able to do so any more.”With all these problems, resident are left wondering how long they will have to be inconvenienced. Project manager Saroja says, “We plan to finish the work in a month’s time. We have focussed on completing the project phase by phase, throughout the zone.”
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