Panel to suggest ways to ease congestion on OMR-Patel Road

Justice SM Subramaniam on constituting the committee on Tuesday directed it to submit the preliminary recommendation by January 22. 

In the brief provided to the committee, the judge also sought them to recommend measures to provide seamless accesses to the residents of Kalikundram and Kanagam located on the western side of the Rajiv Gandhi Salai to the eastern side of the road towards Adyar and Indira Nagar. 

The petitioner E Panneerselvam, a resident of Kalikundram, had contended that a person coming from MGR Film institute and seeking to reach Tidel Park, cannot use the 100 service metre lane since that section of the lane is locked during evening hours. 

“Either the person must travel six kilometres to make a U-turn at IIT Madras entrance or take circuitous route of four kilometre through Taramani,” the petitioner said. 

Pointing out the failure to provide free accesses to their areas to the other side of the road, the localities stand as ‘metropolitan islands’ despite being near the city, the petitioner said, “After construction of the IT corridor, the authorities have raised a median completely isolating the area from the outer world and that over 50,000 people residing in such areas are affected due to the unscientific approach of the authorities.”