No water lines or tar roads in Azad Nagar for 20 years

COIMBATORE: Lacking drinking water connection and tar roads for the past 20 years, Azad Nagar, a residential locality near Ukkadam Lake in the city, has been crying for attention. But so far, it has fallen on deaf ears as the corporation has failed to take notice, and implement corrective measures.
One of the most neglected areas of the corporation, the locality has over 3,000 families residing in it and has nine streets in the residential area.Water connection is still a distant dream for the residents and they use blue water storage tanks for their daily needs, as the area receives drinking water through water lorries, that come once in 15 days.
The area also reported a case of dengue which claimed a man's life, but still the civic officials haven't woken up to the growing concerns.
"The most affected areas due to rain are the seventh and the ninth street. The garbage disposal area near the ninth street is a breeding space for various insects," said Maideen, a resident of the area.
"Last year, my son suffered from dengue because of water logging," said Rasaiah K.
Even though the residents met the councillor and corporation officials several times, no road maintenance work has been carried out by the authorities all these years. "Last year, storm water drains were constructed but only in a few streets. The workers said that only a few streets were included in the project. But more than storm water drains, we would be happier if they provide us with good roads and clean drinking water," said Rahimannu.
"Having lived here for the last 20 years, I have not seen a tar road at all. During rain, we face many problems as we can neither walk nor ride our two-wheelers," said Heema, a resident of that area.
"Even autos refuse to come to this area and we are in trouble if there is an emergency," said Makabunisha.
Sadik Ali, the councillor of Azad Nagar, said he had submitted petitions to the corporation and had spoken to officials regarding the issues. "The corporation hasn't allotted funds for this area. After much insistence, they agreed to lay water pipes, but due to elections, the work has been pending for the past 4 months,'' he said.
When mayor P Rajkumar was contacted, he said that he would look into the matter immediately.