One of the interior streets in Khajamalai dug up for underground drainage work where the road surface has not been laid.

| Photo Credit: R. VENGADESH

Residents of Khajamalai have expressed frustration over the prolonged delay in completing underground drainage (UGD) work, with several roads in the locality remaining dug up for more than a year, causing inconvenience.Roads excavated for the UGD project have remained unrepaired for extended periods while work on certain stretches had been left incomplete. Anna Nagar, Ayanar Kovil Street, Noor Mahal Road, and Lourd Swamy Colony Fourth Street are among the areas where the project remains unfinished. In some streets, portions of the road have been left without relaying after the work was halted midway.“Navigating the roads has become difficult even on foot, particularly at night. The situation worsens during the rainy season as the damaged stretches become slushy. Despite repeated complaints to the authorities, concrete action has not been taken,” said M. Jagan, a resident.Stumbling blockAccording to Corporation sources, the affected areas fall under the Phase III UGD project. While the work was completed on several streets, a few stretches were left out because large boulders beneath the surface obstructed laying of pipeline.Officials said contractors were initially unable to proceed in these portions because of the rocky terrain. Though the Corporation considered using explosives to break the rocks, the surface proved too hard to be blasted effectively. Increasing the explosive intensity could cause vibrations and damage nearby houses.As a solution, the Corporation later decided to adopt chemical blasting, a method that significantly reduces noise, dust, and shockwaves. The pending stretches were subsequently proposed to be included under Phase IV of the project.However, the chemical blasting process requires approval from the Assistant Director of Mines and the District Collector. An estimate for the work was prepared and submitted for approval last year, but the proposal has yet to receive clearance.A senior official said the delay was due to the pending approval for chemical blasting and the non-allocation of funds required to execute the remaining work. He added that the project work would be resumed once the necessary clearances were obtained. Published - June 08, 2026 06:56 pm IST