Citizen’s Audit of Public Roads

in Tiruchirappalli City Municipal Corporation

A citizen’s effort to understand and solve the issues in public roads.

Download the Full Report PDF

1. Introduction

Arappor Iyakkam is a citizens organization that works towards Transparency and Accountability in Governance.

Quality roads are fundamental to a city’s infrastructure. Lack of good roads results in accidents leading to loss of life or disability. It also creates severe stress on the health of the residents. There have been several complaints of poor roads in Trichy over the last few years and this led us to do a detailed citizen audit of the roads that are under the limit of Tiruchirappalli City Municipal Corporation.

Arappor Iyakkam called for citizens and volunteers to document poor roads in their areas. Around 50 volunteers participated in this study and documented nearly 200 poor roads of Trichy that required immediate attention of Trichy Corporation. We hope that the Tamil Nadu Government and Trichy Corporation take serious note of the study and take efforts to relay the poor roads immediately.

2. Section I: Road Audit

2.1 Methodology

Arappor Volunteers and citizens in Trichy were provided with a Google form to record the audit data. In this audit form, volunteers identified roads that are in poor condition in their neighbourhood and documented the name of the damaged road with the Ward Number, Zone Number and images of damaged roads from the field. The audit was done during the dates 02/04/2023 to 13/05/2023.

Google Road Audit Form Link: https://arappor.org/TrichyRoadAudit

Refer to Annexure – I: Trichy Road Audit Google Form, Annexure – II: Audit Form Response sample images

2.2 Road Audit Consolidation Data

2.2.1 Zone 3 – Thiruvarambur

The following roads found to be in poor condition in their neighbourhood of zone 3 were audited by our volunteers and citizens.

Download the PDF Report for Full List of Roads

Key Observations in Zone 3:

1. Out of the 34 roads audited, 27 roads require relaying as mentioned in the above table.
2. The remaining 7 roads require patchwork to be done.
3. Balaji Nagar Extension main road is in severely damaged condition. This road was laid in September 2022, but it got damaged within 10 days of laying due to poor quality and it is not yet restored fully.
4. Santhosh Nagar – All roads in this area were laid around 15 years back and the road conditions are very bad now, especially during rainy seasons the roads are not commutable.
5. Ganesapuram – Roads in this area are severely damaged for a very long time due to underground sewage works and no restoration work has been carried out so far.
6. Kalaivanar Nagar – drinking water line is leaking at multiple places and because of this the newly laid road is getting damaged.
7. These roads have no bitumen layers and require relaying immediately:
   1. Kailash Nagar – 5^th, 7^th, 10^th and 11^th
   2. Vin Nagar, Pappakurichi Kattur – 2^nd, 4^th, 6^th and 9^th
   3. West Thillai Nagar – 11^th
   4. Balaji Nagar Extension – 16^th, 22^nd, 23^rd, 24^th, 25^th, 26^th and 27th
   5. Vivek Nagar – most of the roads in this area.
8. These roads are damaged and require patchwork to be done immediately:
   1. Kattur main road, near Government Primary Health Centre.
   2. Trichy-Thanjavur main road, near Palpannai Junction.
   3. Alathur 2^nd main road.
   4. Ariyamangalam road.

Case Study 1: Balaji Nagar, Ward 39

One of the local residents in Balaji Nagar said “As part of house owners’ welfare association members of Balaji Nagar extension, we had met the zone 3 Chairperson and the Mayor regarding the poor condition of the roads and requested for relaying them. However, the Trichy Corporation officials told us that they didn’t have funds and that the roads can be laid through Namakku Naame Thittam wherein residents have to share the cost of laying the road along with Trichy Corporation. This is unfair”

Also, a few of the roads relaid newly such as 21st Cross West Road were damaged immediately after relaying. This shows the poor quality of the roads being laid and the stormwater drains constructed are very narrow with limited capacity and damaged within few months due to poor quality of work.

Case Study 2: Santhosh Nagar, Ward 42

One of the local residents in Santhosh Nagar said “We have made written complaints to the Ward Councillor, the City Mayor and the Corporation Commissioner. But no action has been taken to improve the road infrastructure in this area; not even any patchwork has been done the existing roads that were damaged 2 years back for underground sewage pipeline work”

Also, He added that “Most of the roads become very muddy during the rainy seasons, and residents are struggling a lot to commute on these roads, especially the school students and the elderly people. Since these roads are very muddy and slippery during rainy days, we are forced to park our vehicles very far from home and walk.”

Case Study 3: Vivekananda Nagar, Ward 44

One of the local residents in Vivekananda Nagar said “The existing road was laid around 8 to 10 years back. For the past 5 years, the roads are damaged heavily and no maintenance work or relaying of road work was conducted by the corporation.”

Also, he added that “From last year sewage pipeline laying work was conducted by the Corporation in parallel with the ongoing underground passage work by the Southern Railways, Due to this the main road from Melkalkandarkottai to Vivekananda Nagar is heavily damaged and public access to the main road is closed without any alternate path.”

The local resident sent a complaint to the Tiruchirappalli Corporation Commissioner last December. After his complaint, a few Corporation officials visited the area and promised to take necessary action but till now no action has been taken by the Trichy Corporation.

2.2.2 Zone 4 – Ponmalai

The following roads found to be in poor condition were audited by our volunteers and citizens in Zone 4.

Download the PDF Report for Full List of Roads

Key Observations in Zone 4:

1. Out of 94 roads audited, 93 roads require relaying and 1 road needs patchwork
2. SBIOA School Road was damaged due to drainage work, and it is not yet restored. The students and older people using this road are suffering a lot due to the high level of dust in the air.
3. Rajaram Salai has a pit in front of the K.K Nagar Bus stand, which is very dangerous for Pedestrians and two-wheelers crossing this road.
4. Most of the roads audited in TSN Avenue Phase 1 and 2 of K.K Nagar are mud roads and the road condition became very worse after the underground sewage works, but they are not restored yet. Residents in this area are struggling to commute on these roads during rainy seasons.
5. The newly laid Birds Road is incomplete with multiple pits around the stormwater drain
6. The stormwater drain at Bharathidasan Salai is severely damaged. This needs to be restored immediately.
7. These major roads are severely damaged and require relaying:
   1. SBI head office Road
   2. Aristo roundabout near the central bus stand
   3. Mc Donalds road, Near Malaimalar press
   4. TB Hospital road, periyamilaguparai
   5. Wireless Road, Kamaraj Nagar, Airport
   6. Near Central bus stand, Back side of Aspy complex
   7. Yadav Street, Bhima Nagar
   8. Arasamara Street, Melapudur
8. Most of the roads audited in these residential areas are muddy and require new roads to be laid:
   1. K Nagar: Jayalakshmi Nagar roads, Goverthan Garden crossroads, Buvaneshwari Nagar Streets, Eswari Garden Streets, Ahilandeshwari Street, Ayyapa Nagar Streets
   2. Gokulam colony, Edamalaippatti Pudur
   3. Thendral Nagar and Ishwarya Nagar Streets
   4. Karidhnamurthy Nagar extension roads

Case Study 4: Rani Meiyammai Nagar, Ward 65

One of the local residents in Rani Meiyammai Nagar said “We do not feel safe crossing the roads at night and walking in the evening because it is dark on the road. Darkness is an advantage for thieves, which makes it difficult for us to go anywhere with the house locked. Most residents here are elderly and retired employees. Women and girls fear going anywhere at night as there is no proper streetlight. Due to poor streetlights, and slippery and muddy roads, accidents are happening on the road. People must carry torches with them to pass the road.”

Also, she added that “I made a complaint to the Corporation officials last January and no action was taken. Further, I filed a complaint in CM Cell, and it was forwarded to the Trichy Corporation officials after which I received a letter from the Corporation saying that Tiruchirappalli Corporation created a drawing for the street light requirement and has send it to TANGEDCO for approval.”

She requests on behalf of the residents to take necessary steps as soon as possible to install the streetlights and new roads laid immediately for the convenience of the locality.

2.2.3 Zone 1 – Srirangam

The following roads found to be in poor condition were audited by our volunteers and citizens in Zone 1.

Download the PDF Report for Full List of Roads

Key Observations in Zone 1:

1. Out of 7 roads audited, 6 roads need relaying and 1 road needs patchwork.
2. These roads are fully damaged and so they require relaying:
   1. Singarathope: Gvn Hospital cut road, Thippiran Thotti Street, Babu Road, Super Bazar Road.
   2. Ganapathy Nagar: Duraisamy Road.
   3. Periyar Nagar: Chandra Nagar Street.
3. The South Street Road at Veereswaram has damages that need a patchwork.
4. Most of the roads audited in this zone do not have proper footpaths and they possess life-threatening dangers to pedestrians.
5. Lack of proper stormwater drains in the roads audited.
6. Insufficient and poorly maintained street lights on the roads that were audited.

2.2.4 Zone 2 – Ariyamangalam

The following roads found to be in poor condition were audited by our volunteers and citizens in Zone 2.

Download the PDF Report for Full List of Roads

Key Observations in Zone 2:

1. Out of the 49 roads audited, 47 roads require relaying and 2 roads need patchwork.
2. All of the roads audited at Venkateshwara Nagar Extension, Thirunagar are mud roads and they get waterlogged during rainy seasons.
3. Most of the roads audited at Indira Nagar Extension and Golden Nagar are damaged due to underground sewage works that were completed 2 years back. These roads are not yet restored.
4. The Thanjavur Main Road near Gandhi market is severely damaged which requires immediate relaying.
5. Kaja Mohideen Street at Palakarai was cut across due to Stormwater drain work, but it is not restored.
6. There is a big pit at the centre of the road at Sulaiman Hajrath St, Kalajamalai Colony. This road is used by a large number of school vans.
7. One side of Eda Street Road has been completely damaged and needs relaying
8. Ponnaiya School Road at Hirudayapuram has been completely damaged and the sewage manhole lid is elevated beyond the road level which can cause fatal accidents. This road needs to be relaid.
9. Potholes and exposed road surfaces with no bitumen layers are common problems on most roads we audited. For example, Kaja Pettai main road, Good Shed Road, and Sub Jail Road.
10. Proper footpaths and stormwater drains were not present on many roads we audited in this zone

2.2.5 Zone 5 – K. Abhishekapuram

The following roads found to be in poor condition were audited by our volunteers and citizens in Zone 5.

Download the PDF Report for Full List of Roads

Key Observations in Zone 5:

1. Out of the 15 roads audited in this zone, 9 roads need relaying and 6 roads need patchwork.
2. At Kumaran Nagar 1st Street, there is an elevated stormwater drain construction above the road level and the road surface is also not restored fully after the completion of construction.
3. At Ramalinga Nagar 1^st Main Road, large stones are kept to cover sewage manholes or stormwater drains. This can cause two-wheeler accidents and this needs a patchwork immediately.
4. There is a big pit with waterlogging at Allithurai Road, Bharathi Nagar (opposite Bishop College). It is dangerous for both pedestrians and people commuting by vehicle.
5. Severe damages at EVR road near Vekkaliyamman Kalyana Mandapam which requires patchwork.
6. Elevated sewage manhole above road level at EVR road Aruna Nagar and Major Saravanan road at Ponnagar extension. This is life-threatening for commuters in two-wheelers.
7. Potholes at Trichy – Dindigul road near Ponnagar extension and opposite to science park at Hidayath Nagar.

3. Section II: Raising of Road Height in Tender Specifications

One of the crucial aspects of road laying is to ensure that the road height does not increase. Increase in road height results in houses going beneath the road and thereby affecting them during rains and floods. It also results in the failure of stormwater drains which are designed as per existing road heights. The Chief secretary came up with an order dated 12/05/2021 that the road height should not be increased while relaying roads (Annexure – III: Chief Secretary Letter Regarding Road Height Increase).

However to our shock, we have found that the height of a few roads are increased in Trichy Corporation even at the stage of Tender specification itself, let alone the time of execution.

For example, let us look at the tender below floated by Trichy Corporation in November 2022.

Tender ID: 2022_MAWS_267090_1.

Tender Description: Formation of BT Surface by using CMP with Paver Finisher at MM Nagar Extension Main Road (East – West) – 086025R2137 in Ward No. 25 (Old Ward No.53).

Tender Documents Link :

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1yiKeKAl5VMNgYjEMpAOGqd0trg10TR-_/view

To understand the work specification in this tender clearly, the various types of work are listed here with quantity in the below table.( Annexure – IV:  Tender BOQ Document – 2022_MAWS_267090_1)

While the earth work excavation or milling is for 15 cm depth as per tender specification, the laying of the road has wet mix macadam for 15 cm, Bituminous macadam for 5 cm and Bituminous concrete for 3 cm. Therefore, a total height of 23 cm is to be laid while only 15 cm is to be excavated. This results in increased road height of 8 cm as per tender specification itself. This is in gross violation of the Chief Secretary’s order.

Trichy Corporation must ensure that there is no increase in road height both in specification as well as execution.

4. Section III: Lack of Transparency in Tenders

As part of the public road audit, Arappor Iyakkam studied the BT road restoration and formation tenders floated in the Tiruchirappalli City Municipal Corporation. For this analysis, Arappor Iyakkam consolidated 123 road tenders data on 13/05/2023 floated in the period of 6 months from September 2022 to March 2023. (Annexure – V: Trichy Road Tenders Sep 2022 – Mar 2023)

While all these tenders have been completed and awarded for work and in many execution is already over, the tender website https://tntenders.gov.in/ shows that many of these tenders are not even opened.

Out of these 123 tenders, 55 tenders are displayed as ‘Technical Evaluation’ stage and 68 Tenders are in ‘To be opened’ stage.  Not even a single tender has moved to the financial bid stage as per the tntenders website. This shows that the data is purposefully hidden by moving to a manual process of finalization of the tenders from the stage of opening to hide the details of bidders and the finalized amount and specification of contract work.

Arappor Iyakkam sent a representation to Trichy Corporation Commissioner on 15/10/2022 to implement the end-to-end tender process and for requesting full transparency in the tender process. So far, the issue has not been addressed.

5. Recommendations

With respect to the issues identified and analyzed, we request the Tiruchirappalli City Corporation to implement the following recommendations as soon as possible.

1. The consolidation of our audit in the 5 zones are as follows:

As per the above table, we request the Corporation to immediately carry out the relaying and patch work in all of the above roads mentioned.

2. Our study is only on a sample of the roads. Trichy Corporation needs to carry out an extensive audit and prepare and release a blue print of their plan to relay each of the damaged roads within a definite time period.
3. Some roads for which tenders were already floated show that there is increase in the height of the road at the stage of tender specification itself violating the Chief Secretary’s order. Trichy Corporation needs to immediately correct the tender specifications and they should ensure that both as per tender specification and execution, the road heights in Trichy are not increased.
4. Trichy Corporation does not have a proper grievance redressal mechanism for citizens on civic issues. The Trichy_Citizenapp is non responsive and there is a huge delay in opening of the app itself. Citizens feel that most issues submitted in the app are also not resolved. Therefore Trichy Corporation need to provide a responsive and accountable grievance redressal mechanism.
5. Lack of Transparency has been a major concern in Trichy Corporation. Most tenders even though called as ‘e-tenders’ are carried out as manual tenders from the stage of opening to avoid public view of the bidders who participated and the amount for which contracts are awarded. As a result, even the tenders for which work has been completed are displayed as ‘to be opened’ tenders. Inspite of the earlier representation, the Corporation seems to be purposefully hiding this data. Transparency is key to counter maladministration, Corruption etc and to fix accountability. Therefore, Trichy Corporation should display transparency in letter and spirit.

6. Annexure

Download the Full Report PDF