The poor condition of the Puducherry-Villupuram road at Moolakulam has made movement difficult. , photo credit: kumar ss
The pothole-ridden stretch from Mulakulam Junction to Thakkakuttu on the Puducherry-Villupuram Highway has become a nuisance for motorists, especially at night.
The asphalt layer has crumbled, resulting in huge potholes, which have now grown in size, posing a serious threat to two-wheeler riders.
Due to poor street lights on the road, the problems of the passengers have increased even more. Potholes in some parts of the road are also becoming a challenge for pedestrians.
“It is the busiest area in Puducherry. Hundreds of people in two-wheelers use the road to reach the industrial estate. Crossing the Moolakulam-Thakkakuttu stretch of the highway has become a herculean task,” said Vinayakmurthy, a resident of Arumparthapuram
The condition of the road is getting worse and worse for the past several months. When the condition worsened, the officers often relied on giving patch work. But the repairs won’t last long, he said.
Siddharth Srivastava, a resident of JJ Nagar in Moolakulam, said that parents used to find it very difficult to take their children to school on a two-wheeler.
“I was about to collapse while going to the milk parlor early last week. Fortunately, I narrowly escaped being hit by a truck while trying to avoid a pothole in the middle of the road at Moolakulam junction,” Mr Srivastava said.
The road has been left without any repairs even after part of the stretch of black spots has been identified by the traffic police in the union territory. “Riding a two-wheeler is a risky affair because of its current alignment. Riding has become risky due to the development of several potholes,” said a traffic police officer.
A detailed analysis conducted by the traffic police department revealed that the stretch alone accounted for 206 accidents in 2020. Of the total accidents, 33 were fatal for two-wheeler riders.
The analysis revealed that in 2020 alone, there have been 12 accidents due to potholes in the Puducherry region.