Chennai
The stretch near the Rajarathinam Stadium has been covered with construction materials like gravel. The road is uneven where it meets Ethiraj Salai and it has caught many off guard.
One such commuter is Henry George. He recounted how he almost fell from his bike, while negotiating the turn, a couple of days ago.
“I didn’t realise that the road has become so uneven, as I am used to travelling via the road to reach Mount Road for work. I averted the fall, but my colleague, who was riding pillion, was left shaken for the next 10 minutes.
We wonder how serious an accident it could have been, as the road is a major link to those taking the Mount Road or crossing over to the other side of Egmore. There are buses plying on the route, and the traffic is steady,” he said.
Ever since ongoing work by the Chennai Metro Water Supply and Sewerage Board began, the stretch had to be dug up, said an official from Zone 5 of the Greater Chennai Corporation. The officials added, “We are waiting for an NOC from the CMWSSB before beginning works to relay the road.” The official said that the work will be completed shortly.
“We are aware of the inconvenience caused to the public, but we will complete it at the earliest,” he assured. The road has a number of public places, a school, religious places of worship and the Regional Institute of Ophthalmology and Government Ophthalmic Hospital.
It is also an important bypass road for the traffic reaching Vepery or the Poonamalle High Road. Since it is summer, the pavements have also been taken over by vendors selling tender coconuts and seasonal fruits, pointed out another commuter.
Prakash S, another commuter, said that many parts of the road have narrowed down due to the mushrooming of vendors. However, the zone official said, “We have been conducting drives to remove encroachments very frequently to ensure that the sidewalks are available for pedestrians without hindrance from hawkers.
We will be conducting one more soon to clear them out completely,” he said.
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