UGD works damage Meyyanur Road in Salem

Salem The one-km stretch between the Salem New Bus Stand and Meyyanur Road remains damaged due to th

The one-km stretch between the Salem New Bus Stand and Meyyanur Road remains damaged due to the Under Ground Drainage (UGD) works. Commuters and shopkeepers complain that the dust emanating from the road while vehicles pass through is affecting them badly.

Meyyanur Road is an important area in Salem city where cinemas and electronic goods showrooms are located. Buses heading towards Namakkal, Erode, Coimbatore and Karur have to pass this road from the New Bus Stand to reach Thiruvagoundanur By-Pass. Last year, to lay the main pipelines for the UGD scheme, the Corporation dug the road and the work is still going on. As the road remains damaged, people avoid using this road and it has affected the business in the shops here.

Communist Party of India (Marxist) urban north secretary N. Praveen Kumar told The Hindu road were laid on this stretch during the DMK regime in 2006-11. For the past 12 years, the road had not been re-laid though it was damaged. Last year, the Corporation started the UGD works that were going on in a very slow pace. In a month, the works were carried out only for seven to ten days.

The Corporation knew how important and busy this stretch was, but it still showed negligence in completing the works, Mr. Praveen Kumar said and added that the party would stage a protest demanding the Corporation to complete the UGD works soon.

R. Sathish, who works in an electronics shop, said that for the past one year, people coming to the shops had reduced. Roadside shopkeepers, especially tea shops and eateries, were the worst hit because of the dust, he added.

When contacted, the Corporation officials said the UGD works would be completed in ten days and after that the road laying works would begin. By June 20, all the works would be completed on the stretch, the officials said.