CHENNAI: The widening of the three-kilometre stretch of the Medavakkam Main Road between Vanuvampettai and Kilkattalai has brought little respite to pedestrians and motorists. The encroachment on the widened space has made the road narrower and accident prone. But officials confirmed that the work along this stretch is expected to be completed by June.
The widening of the Medavakkam Main Road between St Thomas Mount station and Koot Road junction near Quaid- E-Milleth Government College (totally nine kilometres) was undertaken by the State Highways Department at the cost of `14 crore, ten years ago. “The work on this stretch began about two years back. There has been a lot of inconvenience ever since. Due to the stormwater drain work, our entrances were blocked and the number of customers considerably reduced. Concrete and sharp stones on the road punctured the tires of our vehicles at least once a week.
Despite all this, we patiently waited as the officials promised that the road widening would decrease vehicular congestion. But we only see encroachers occupy these spaces,” said R Murugan who runs a departmental store in the area. The Medavakkam Main Road links city suburbs including Madipakkam, Puzhuthivakkam, Ullagaram and Kovilambakkam with the metropolitan areas. A visit to the area exposed the sorry state of affairs. Electricity poles have been dangerously erected in the middle of the road, parked vans and trucks dot either side of the road.
There is no space on the footpath for pedestrians to walk and three bike service shops are operating on the widened path. “Widening will be complete by June and officials will not supervise the road thereafter. As a result, the number of encroachers will only increase. It is imperative for the officials to take action immediately and warn the encroachers,” said N Rathnamala, a resident of Madipakkam. Another shop owner on condition of anonymity said the number of accidents has also increased on the stretch. “Few encroachers leave their makeshift stalls on the road at night.
There have been many incidents in the past six months where a motorist either rammed into the electricity pole or one of these stalls during the night. Moreover, after the road was laid, some electricity poles were shifted leaving potholes in the area.” When contacted, an official from the State Highways department said they will shift all the electricity poles within two weeks and take action towards clearing the encroachments.