CHENNAI: The Federation of OMR Resident Associations (FOMRRA) has urged Tiruporur MLA B Vijayaraj, the Tamil Nadu Road Development Company (TNRDC) and the district administration to urgently address safety concerns along the Tiruporur and Padur-Kelambakkam bypasses, as they remain without streetlights.
The FOMRRA said the absence of lighting had turned the stretches into dark spots, leading to concerns over late-night vehicle parking, public drinking and alleged drug-related activities, posing a safety risk to residents and commuters.
In a letter to the authorities, the residents' body pointed out that hundreds of streetlight poles removed from the OMR median during Chennai Metro Rail construction were lying abandoned near the Perungudi TNRDC toll gate. It said the poles were rusting in a vacant space, resulting in a waste of public resources.
Harsha Koda, co-founder of FOMRRA, said the existing poles could be shifted to the bypasses, which also fall under TNRDC's jurisdiction, instead of spending heavily on new infrastructure.
"Installing streetlights on these bypasses is critical. However, we do not need to spend huge amounts of taxpayer money on new poles when perfectly good infrastructure is rusting just a few kilometres away," Koda said.
He said transferring the poles would reduce capital expenditure, while local panchayats or the Kancheepuram district administration would only need to provide funds for cabling and light fixtures.
"Repurposing these streetlights is the perfect opportunity to demonstrate efficient asset use while immediately eliminating dark spots," he said.
FOMRRA has sought immediate interdepartmental intervention to expedite the shifting and installation of the streetlights.