The Greater Chennai Corporation will start closing potholes on roads to reduce the risk of road traffic accidents during the monsoon, according to officials. This follows the death of a motorcyclist after hitting a pothole on a stretch of a highway in the city recently.
Each of the 15 zones have received allocation of ₹10 lakh for closing potholes. Officials have been asked to prepare a list of stretches where potholes have been found.
Corporation officials will deploy more than 1,000 road workers for the restoration of damaged stretches.
Large potholes, more than 40 mm in depth, will be closed using concrete while smaller ones will be filled using cold mix. Stretches damaged by agencies such as Metrowater will also be restored. Roads having high density of traffic will be prioritised.
An official said the civic body has also decided to prune trees along all the roads in the city. Residents can call the helpline 1913 to report about potholes, dug-up roads or trees that have not been pruned. Work on pruning of trees is expected to gain momentum after Deepavali. Chennai Collector J. Vijaya Rani has advised residents to avoid bursting crackers near hospitals, places of worship and institutions for senior citizens.
The Collector urged residents to reduce air pollution and pollution caused by crackers.
