CHENNAI : Electrical cable maintenance work at the OMR service lane near Thoraipakkam has made heavy vehicles, including school buses, to negotiate a narrow stretch between two pits, to reach the residential areas, off the service lane. Hesitant to use the two-kilometre roundabout via Kannagi Nagar, four-wheelers and heavy vehicles, including school buses, prefer to use the dug up stretch instead, putting lives of passengers at risk, residents said.
“Not only is there no space for emergency services to reach us, we see that heavy vehicles negotiate the stretch because the only available alternative route is through Kannagi Nagar. The roads on this route are small and many are not aware that an alternate route even exists,” said John, president of Prapancha Apartments Owners’ Association, who resides at Madha koil Street, off the service lane.
As of now, only two-wheelers are able to manoeuvre the stretch without much difficulty, provided there is no traffic. Off the service road, there are at least six apartments, each of which has at least 400 families, said residents. With a good spell of rain on the cards this week, residents fear that the situation will worsen if the pits are not closed in time.
“Usually maintenance works are carried out by morning and completed by night, not causing too much inconvenience. But this time, it has not only remained open for over three days, we are also not convinced with the pace of work,” said John. When contacted, a TANGEDCO official said cable replacement work is being carried out on the stretch. “Work will be completed by tomorrow at the latest,” the official said.