Chennai: The construction of a Storm Water Drainage by the State Highways Department, near the MIT bridge in Chrompet, is left half complete for a long time now.
However, the authorities maintain that the work has been done. To get clarity on the issue, a social activist and an RTI expert, V Santhanam, had filed an RTI petition requesting for updates on the same.
To his shock, the government produced vague replies and claimed to have completed the work, also stating that the drainage causes no hindrance to the public.
According to Durai Raj, a local shopkeeper, “Every night, after closing the shop, we try to shut the drain. But it gets back to being open the next day. We have taken so many steps to sort this out, but nothing has changed.”
Similarly, K Raju, a resident of Chrompet, opines, “It is a dangerous situation, as the drainage has been constructed under the footpath in the service road. Many pedestrians tend to take this pavement. What if school children or elderly people slip and fall into the hole by mistake? The government should take necessary action to prevent such mishaps.”
On his part, V Santhanam, says, “The government has given me a vague reply which is unacceptable. I wonder how can the authorities say that the work is completely done and that there is no inconvenience to the public. Every day, thousands of people go through this road and all of them are put at risk due to this half-done project.”
“I am a tax payer, an RTI activist and an Indian citizen. I have all the rights to raise these questions. I will appeal further and and make sure that this SWD is properly constructed,” he concludes.