CHENNAI: A 2.5-km stretch from Echangadu signal to Kamatchi Hospital on the Pallavaram-Thoraipakkam Radial Road is riddled with potholes, posing a severe threat to motorists. Residents and routine road users have urged the State Highway department to repair the road immediately.
The stretch is vital to the locality as it houses many institutions and hospitals. Residents note that many complaints have been filed, but no action has been taken yet. K Arun Kumar of Kovilambakkam expressed his frustration, "Maintaining roads is a fundamental part of governance. However, repeated complaints about poorly maintained stretches of road have revealed serious gaps in how the system responds to public grievance."
A major challenge citizens face is the absence of a clear escalation within the Highways department. Nearly nine housing communities have been facing hardships due to the pothole roads.
"As a result, even routine issues like potholes end up being escalated through the Chief Minister's grievance cell. Patchwork done by contractors often resembles uneven speed bumps rather than proper road restoration, adding more risk for users," added Arun.
Civic activist S David Manohar, "We urged the Highway department officials to lay roads on the entire service lanes. And remove the encroachments, as the two private hospitals use the service roads as parking spaces."
A Highway department official noted that the repair works on the stretch between Echangadu Signal and Kamatchi Hospital, including pothole repair, will be carried out immediately.