CHENNAI: One can enter Madipakkam from any side. Velachery-Tambaram Road, Medavakkam Main Road or the inner stretches, but once you're in, riding in peace is near impossible.
Karthikeyapuram, Arul Murugan Nagar, Ponniyamman Kovil Street, Mahalakshmi Nagar... a large chunk of Madipakkam (Zone 14) lies in disrepair. Residents and commuters say they’ve been left with unfinished roads, poor infrastructure, and dusty streets.
"I’ve been going around these streets for more than a decade, and this has been the condition for at least the past three years," lamented a fruit seller.
Almost every street in the locality has a "non-functional" road, which is either dug up or missing a proper road altogether.
The Metro Water Board, TNEB, and Greater Chennai Corporation have all had a hand in the digging.
"It’s a cycle. They’ll dig for metro water, and then EB cables get damaged. TNEB comes in. Give it a week, and they dig for sewage. Then there’s stormwater drain work on top of that," lamented Shreedhar, ex-councillor from the BJP.
Interestingly, the area has a noticeably high number of bike mechanic shops. And commuters say frequent repairs are inevitable. "Either my suspension wears out or the tyre gets punctured," said Kumaran, a resident.
DT Next was unable to reach Ward 187 councillor J Sherly Thomas of the DMK. A familiar pattern in such cases, it is the husband who responds and acts on her behalf. He downplayed the issue, saying the work is part of the area's long-term development.
"The problem is, they start a job, leave it half done, and then take two more months to complete it. I don’t think these departments talk to each other," alleged Kumaran.
Assistant executive engineer Ravi Verma said three different works are happening simultaneously, and occasional mishaps lead to temporary patchwork. "We’re prepared, and everything will be sorted out soon," he assured.
But residents remain miffed. They’ve been enduring pothole-ridden, poorly laid roads for years and all they want is an end to this long road of frustration.