A road dreaded by motorists, pedestrians

COIMBATORE: The only road to Athavan Industrial Estate, which houses 35 industries, has become slushy following the recent northeast monsoon showers. The road is also filled with potholes, in which rainwater is stagnating. Around 3,000 people are forced to ride or walk through this slush and shin-deep water to reach their work place.
The road located just off Athipalayam Road has at least four large potholes that are at least 20ft long.To add to the woes of motorists and pedestrians, the entire road is now covered with slush.
Rajesh Palanisamy, who runs a casting industry at the estate, said, “After two bikers fell down, others are scared to ride through the stretch, which is now used by only small vans.”
Since Friday, a majority of the 3,000 workers have been parking their vehicles on Athipalayam main road and walking to their offices. “We have also been sending trucks to bring in our workers from the main road in the mornings and dropping them back after their shift, because the 300m stretch is not safe for pedestrians either,” Palanisamy said.
He said workers were not reporting for work due to the bad condition of the road. “They are saying they can’t come as they can’t walk or ride to the factory.”
Industrialists said the situation was the same whenever it rained. H Harish, who runs a roofing company, said, “Eight motor lorries have been employed since Sunday to suck out as much water as possible.” According to Shamugam, a total of 84 lorries were pressed into service since August second week to suck out water from the road.
The industrialists, who have set up shops in Athavan industrial estate in the mid-90s and early 2000s, said it had been nine years since the road was relaid. “It was last relaid by the Chinna Vedampatti panchayat in 2010. Since the city corporation included our area in its limits in 2011, we have not got a single infrastructure,” Harish said.
M Rajkumar, another industrialist, said they were deprived of drinking water supply, drainage and street lights.
A corporation official, however, said the layout promoter was yet to ‘gift the road to them and as such they could not repair the same. “We have given them the procedure for gifting it to us - like submitting a layout sketch and drawing, copies of approvals the layout has received and an open reserve site, which is mandatory. Once the road belongs to us, we will repair it.”