Vehicles take over subway, pedestrians demand flyover

In 1998, a subway was built by the Southern Railway and Highway department after retired Madras High Court Judge M Karpaga Vinayagam passed the order as people were suffering in the absence of a proper road.

As the subway is narrow, too dark and congested, the public, especially elderly people, had always found it extremely dangerous to walk through the subway.

“As the number of vehicles using the subway increased, pedestrians stopped using it four years ago. A flyover for vehicles is the need of the hour so pedestrians can use the subway,” said Roche Y, who owns a barbershop in the area for the past 20 years.

Earlier, two-wheelers and heavy vehicles had to take 3-4 km to reach the main road. Now, after the Chennai Metro Rail work started, they must take an even longer route to reach the main road. This led to all vehicles using the subway regularly. “We don’t have a choice but use the railway track now. The subway is always filled with vehicles and it is too dangerous for pedestrians. Many people have met with accidents while crossing the railway track. We have asked the police to take action, but it seems like they haven’t taken the issue to higher officials,” said Muthukannan R, a resident.

When contacted, Saravanan Selvan, assistant engineer, State Highways department said, “We have approved the construction of flyovers at a few areas in North Chennai, including this road. Soon, we will start the work.”