Trichy: Broken fences and overgrown weeds obstructing carriageways and pavements pose threats to commuters, especially school vehicles, increasingly using the Uyyakondan canal riverfront roads located behind the Trichy district collectorate.Developed by Trichy corporation under the smart cities mission programme and opened in 2021, the roads lack metal fences on several stretches including at curves, making vehicles vulnerable to plunge into the irrigation canal.Residents also access the 2.6km-long road between Chettipalam bridge in Puthur and PWD aqueduct near Kuzhumayee Amman temple to skip the congested Vayalur Road and EVR Road near MGMGH. As banks on either side of the canal were laid with cement concrete roads, vehicles often overspeed on the stretch near school zones, where only a limited number of speed breakers are available.“Additional streetlights are needed. At night, the missing fences are much more intimidating. People casually walking and talking on mobile phones are unaware of the openings near the road,” S Rajasekar, a resident of Kallangadu, said.People often walk, jog, and cycle in the area where three public parks were developed and two are accessed by the public. Weeds blanketing the walking tracks and overgrown shrubs invading the carriageway show poor periodical maintenance of the roads. While several residential and commercial properties have come up, a few vacant sites on the canal banks are used to dump construction and solid waste.“We will inspect and coordinate with the water resources department (WRD) to properly fence the canal,” said mayor Mu Anbalagan. Some of the fences were removed to desilt the canal but were not restored. WRD’s river conservancy division officials said the corporation will be asked to improve the conditions of the bund roads.
