[pinawinekolad]

Incessant rains have made almost all arterial and interior roads unmotorable, making life difficult for north North Chennaiites.

Motorists and the public have appealed to the newly-elected councillors of the corporation to repair the roads on a war footing. Traffic was thrown out of gear on thoroughfares such as Thiruvottiyur High (TH) Road, Ennore Expressway, Thiruvottiyur-Ponneri Panchetty (TPP) Road, Madras Tirupati High Road, Paper Mills Road, Madhavaram High Road and Konnur High Road.

Motorist travelling on TH Road found it a tough to negotiate the waterlogged and damaged stretch. The interior roads in parts of western Thiruvottiyur were not relaid for more than a decade on the ground that the drinking water supply scheme and underground drainage project had to be completed.

“Even after slight rain, the roads become unmotorable. We have for many years been demanding that the government repair the damaged roads but this has not been done,” said N. Govindan, a resident of Ambedkar Nagar.

Residents of Manali New Town complained that the delay in completion of converting TPP Road into a four-lane highway has resulted in heavy traffic since Friday night. Mayor Saidai Duraisamy on Sunday visited rain-affected Padikuppam and Abhirami Nagar and Nerkundram in Maduravoyal and reviewed the steps taken by the corporation officials to pump out floodwater.

- dc chn