CHENNAI: Nearly 400 residents of Manali New Town and ten surrounding villages near Manali staged a protest after police denied permission to form a human chain demanding Metro Rail connectivity to their area.
The protest was organised by the Metro Rail Service Demand Committee, Manali New Town, which has been campaigning for more than three years seeking the extension of Metro Rail linkage to Manali New Town to ease transportation, reduce travel time, and improve road safety on the Tiruvottiyur–Ponneri–Panchetti Road.
PK Thenkanal, a member of the committee, said the residents were demanding that the proposed Metro Rail corridor between Wimco Nagar and Madhavaram be extended via Manali New Town to improve connectivity to the locality and surrounding areas.
He said reaching Wimco Nagar Metro station was difficult, as container trucks often occupy large portions of the Tiruvottiyur–Ponneri–Panchetti Road, particularly the stretch between Ernavoor and Napalayam. The situation was worse on weekends when cargo ships arrive at the Chennai port, which results in increased truck movement, he said.
“Frequent road accidents and traffic congestion make it difficult even for ambulances to pass during emergencies,” added Francis Infant Raj, another member of the committee.
When the group had previously submitted petitions to Chief Minister MK Stalin and Metro Rail officials, they were told that the proposal was under consideration.
Extending support to the protest, TK Shanmugam, president, North Chennai Residents’ Welfare Associations Federation, urged the government to expand Metro Rail services to integrate North Chennai with the rest of the city. He also called for extending the Wimco Nagar Metro line up to Ennore and the Madhavaram line up to Ennore via Manali New Town, besides proposing a new corridor from Washermenpet to Red Hills via Vyasarpadi, MKB Nagar, and Moolakadai.