An open pit with a shutoff valve ‘lies in wait’ for unsuspecting motorists in Ramapuram

An aspect of 360 degree insight is a keen awareness about the impact of one’s actions on others even those that seem distant from one’s domain. That idea is effortlessly infectious, commanding the 100 percent coverage of a nation’s anthem, being on the lips of everyone within its borders. Everyone might pay lip service to 360 degree insight as it is a fashionable, never-jaded, exciting idea; only a few practise it though as it is also an exacting idea. One does not find even a mustard-seed of faith in the heart to believe government civic agencies have this insight. If they do have it, they often do not provide sufficient evidence of it. They provide a mountain of evidence to the contrary. Here is an addition to that formidable mountain. 

As a link route with a chain-link of roads (one eventually connecting Butt Road and Arcot Road) doglegs through Ramapuram, by the side of Sathya Nagar Main Road, a shutoff valve or a waterflow valve (necessary for water supply to be turned on and off) installed by Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (CMWSSB) is lying in wait for motorists. A person acquainted with the space by virtue of his work points out, on condition of anonymity, that on the evening of June 21, when parts of Chennai witnessed a sudden burst of rain, this “trap” successfully ensnared a car, its wheel stuck in the pit. The car was pulled out and sent on its way. But if something has happened once, it can happen again unless the conditions that trigger it are removed. 

The “keeper of valves” has foreseen this possibility, hence two logs placed on the pit where the shutoff valve is ensconced. Those two logs can get dislodged, and even if they do not, at times of poor visibility, such as night time and when the skies open up with showers, they can be missed along with the pit. A wrong move by a set of wheels is not a matter to be shrugged off. The vehicle that slipped a wheel in happened to have four wheels, and therefore stability was still maintained, and the occupants were safe. What if a wheel that slips in has only one more for company? If a motorcyclist gets into the pit, they might not get out of it the same; the damage could be costly. 

The pit has to have proper masonry work with a sturdy metal grille (one that can be opened to access the shutoff valve) on top of it, sturdy enough to take the load of rolling wheels.