The recent death of Nandha Kumar, who met with an accident on CTH Road, has once again proved that the particular road is dangerous for road users.
Chennai Tiruvallur High Road, or CTH Road, a 22-km stretch from Padi to Thirunindravur, has always been an accident prone spot for road users. “On this particular road, a minimum of two to three accidents occur per week,” says Kirubakaran, a resident of Ambattur.
A couple of years ago, the National Highways Authority of India had plans to widen the road but dropped the idea due to opposition from vendors on the roadside.
“We can’t cite the NHAI’s dropping of the idea as a reason for continuing mishaps in this stretch. Lack of proper maintenance of the road plays a major role in fatal accidents,” said Seetha Lakshmi, a regular user of this road.
Indeed, the road with its many potholes is in urgent need of patchwork.
“We took this issue to the concerned officials of both the Corporation and the Highways Department. But they point fingers at each other,” says Manikandan, a mechanic shop owner.
Despite repeated complaints, no measures have been taken till date. Now the residents have almost given up hope of improvement and just want repairs to the road at the least.
“Reflectors, streetlights and patchwork on potholes will be more than enough for us,” said Kirubakaran.
“The responsibility does not only lie with the government. Road users have some responsibility like not overspeeding, wearing helmets and following traffic rules,” said a traffic police official.