With the local body elections around the corner, one could see infrastructure development works going on in many wards in the city at hectic pace. However, the quality of the works left a lot to be desired in the case of various projects.
A Subramaniam, a DMK councillor in Tirupur Corporation, admits that the many works taken up with urgency before the elections lack quality. “All we can do as elected representatives is to ask the Corporation officials to execut the project. Quality is to be monitored by them”, he said. But city residents also see the elections as an opportunity to get their grievances on public utilities redressed quickly by applying pressure tactics on the political parties.
They cited the case of relaying a road taken up now along a narrow passage at P.V. Nagar in ward 33 after it was remaining as an earthen road for so long, as an example.
“We have been facing difficulties to drop the children to the school situated in the one of by-lanes of P.V. Nagar due to lack of proper road. Despite repeated pleas, the work has been taken up only now”, pointed out few parents.
N. Shanmugasundaram, a social activist and president of Nallur Consumer Welfare Association, feels there was nothing wrong in people raising demands to get things done on the infrastructure front as a return for exercising franchise.
“But I am also sceptical about the quality in the execution of the projects in such circumstances from the experiences in the past. Many roads and culverts set up in a hurry to satisfy the voters on previous occasions have crumbled in quick time”, he said.
