CHENNAI: A portion of the Otteri bridge’s wall which has been broken for a long time has been posing a threat to the public, but little attention has been paid to restore it, allege residents. They appeal to the officials and councillors of the locality to address it as early as possible, before some tragedy strikes.
Official apathy is out in the open as the always-busy Otteri bridge which acts as a junction connecting the Strahans Road, and Cooks Road has been in poor upkeep for a long time.
Commuters and residents at Otteri are worried that during the rainy season, the broken wall of the bridge could cause a serious threat to life.
“As the wall is broken, it can lead to any sort of accidents, even fatalities. The pavement is also slippery and the recent rain has added to the threat,” said a resident of Otteri. The resident went on to add that there was a foul smell from the nullah flowing with sewage which adds to the woes. “Though conservancy workers take basic measures such as dusting bleaching powder, the bad odour is unbearable for anyone to pass by the bridge,” the resident added.
As Chennai Metro Rail work is underway nearby, the junction is made more chaotic, say commuters. “Due to danger at the location, school students have begun taking the road on the other side to reach the Otteri bus stand,” added another resident.
“Even though the house of minister PK Sekar Babu is located nearby, there has been no action from the civic body over this broken bridge,” said a shop owner at Otteri.
When DT Next tried to reach civic officials and area councillors for a response, but in vain.