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NT Bureau
Chennai, Jan 29:

        Most of the residents of Konnur High Road, which stretches from beyond Ayanavaram to Otteri, are a happy lot since their long-pending demand is to be fulfilled soon - desilting the waterway which was built during the pre-independence days. But the rest are not as happy for they had constructed their houses on the waterway meaning on encroached land.

It's been a month or so since the desilting operations have begun and the plan is to clean the canal full length. It may be recalled that during the monsoon season, the entire area at Pulianthope and Otteri were flooded, and residents had been up in arms against the apathy of the civic authorities.         Several people on the stretch had water inundating their dwellings and the floor in their houses saw water percolating through it upward from the bottom of the canal. It remains to be seen whether the civic authority's would so much as evict the encroachers to continue their operations, says a social activist at Nammalvarpet. He also adds that the government had dared not evict as they would risk losing the votebank despite the problem that residents ran into during the rainy days.         It is really heartening to see the civic workers on the job in one part of Konnur High Road, as the age-old walls of the canal have been brought down to facilitate the desilting work, says Ravi, a shopkeeper at Ayanavaram.

Cleaning work going on Konnur High Road.

        A provision storekeeper Mohan on the stretch appeared delighted. He feels that the work was long overdue. However, he says that on completion of the operation, people on this road won't have to bother even if floods come. As they say it's better to be late than never, the Corporation has undertaken the activity much to the delight of those residing and trading on the road for decades now.