Members of All India Democratic Women's Association staging a demonstration to draw the attention of the authorities on the pathetic condition of the Janaki Nagar road at HMS Colony in Madurai on Saturday. | Photo Credit: R_ASHOK more-in A bad road on the northern side of HMS Colony (Ward 19) leads to Janaki Nagar, a locality with no proper pathway. The area is full of rainwater puddles. Once the water dries up, it leaving behind slush. Women here say the situation remains the same for so many years. V. Shanta and S. Pandiselvi, long-time residents, say they dread monsoon. “When children return come from school, their uniform is muddy and difficult to wash. They also fall sick often and many have skin infection as they walk barefoot in the dirty water,” says Ms. Shanta. The women say they have petitioned various Corporation Commissioners over the years but to no avail. “Many have come and taken note of the road conditions but nothing has come of their visits,” Ms. Shanta says. People across the city are worried over the absence of a plan to be prepared for the monsoon. N. R. Ramesh Babu, a resident of Munichalai, says many parts of the city get flooded during rain. Places such as St. Mary’s school vicinity, Manjanakara Street, Kamarajapuram and areas near Tirumalai Nayak Palace are flooded during monsoon. One of the residents of Sellur, A. Nagendran, says underground drainage pipelines often bursts in their area, leading to stench and spread of diseases. “The Corporation is not yet prepared to face the monsoon. Residents say the rising level of stagnant sewage water in Kiruthumal channel often spills on to the streets during rain. “The monsoon brings with it several problems relating to cleanliness,” says M. Gopinath, a resident. Corporation Commissioner S. Aneesh Sekhar says, “This year, the monsoon has set in by September 15. This caught us by surprise as we had planned to repair many roads.” As many as 383 culverts have been cleared and work orders for the cleaning of 13 channels have been given. Mini earth movers have been deployed and regular cleaning has been done to avoid major flooding during rain, he says.

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