Poor condition of road in Noombal disrupts daily life, hits essential services

In Noombal, a crumbling road has left residents grappling with daily disruptions. For nearly a year now, the battered Noombal-Velappanchavadi road has severed access to most of the essential services, as navigating the pothole-ridden stretch has become a Herculean task.

With the road condition worsening with each passing day, residents plan to lay the damaged stretch, if the local body fails to begin work on the ₹1.12 crore project to restore the road by June 24.

The one-km long road, falling under Thiruverkadu Municipality, is a crucial route connecting Velappanchavadi and Noombal with areas such as Thundalam, Iyappanthangal, and Sri Ramachandra Medical College and Hospital in Porur.

“Walking on the pothole- ridden road is a daily ordeal. It gets worse after a brief rain spell. Motorists often skid and fall on the road with large pits covered with stagnant rainwater. It is difficult to manoeuvre the road even during a medical emergency,” said D. Varadharajulu, a resident.

The road, flanked by industrial units and residential buildings, is used by nearly 15,000 vehicles, including trucks daily.

Though several representations were made about the damaged road in the past three years, negligence has led to its degradation. The stretch suffered further damage after it was dug up for constructing storm-water drain — a project that remains incomplete, according to residents.

Members of Vinoth Apartment Residents Welfare Association, Noombal, said they could not avail themselves of even basic doorstep services such as gas cylinder delivery due to the road’s poor condition. School van drivers often asked parents to bring their children to more accessible spots.

“Autorickshaws refuse rides to our houses even if we offer to pay more. Courier service providers and food delivery workers ask us to collect parcels at quite a distance from our houses. Some families have even moved out of the area, unable to wait any longer for the road to be re-laid,” a resident said.

Travelling on the road during night is a tough task. The local body had come up with a project to re-lay the road a year ago. But it is yet to take off. “We plan to mobilise funds in the area and fill the potholes on June 24 if the local body fails to begin work to restore the road,” said S. Yuvaraj of the Public Environment and Awareness Society.

Noting that movement of heavy vehicles transporting goods to industrial units led to frequent damage, N. Dakshinamoorthy, the Thiruverkadu Municipality Commissioner, said: “We will carry out temporary restoration in two days. The re-laying work will begin by July second week, based on Anna University’s recommendations to improve its durability,” he said.