CHENNAI: Be it electronic items or dry fruits, you can get a wide range of products procured from around the world at Strotten Muthiah Street that is always buzzing with commercial activity with its numerous shops and trading companies. The busy commercial activity on this narrow street, tucked amidst cluttered buildings of Sowcarpet will surely earn handsome revenue for the government by way of taxes.
But the condition of the road is so pathetic on this street which thousands of people use every day. In fact, residents say the area is not worthy enough to be called a ‘road,’ given it is only the pebbles and potholes that fill the space.
It’s a torment for tricycle riders who have to pedal down this path to transport goods to shops. And motorists riding on this muddy stretch almost always require some circus skills while dodging large ditches when it rains.
“The condition has been like this for many months. Every day life is getting more difficult for the people here because of this. It is pathetic that the condition remains so on the main commercial street of Sowcarpet,” says S Ashok Modi.
Residents point out that the government must consider the commercial significance of the road and lay the road immediately.
“On normal days, the bad road condition makes the entire stretch so dusty,” says A Aravindan, who passes this street regularly. He adds, “When it rains, the road becomes very muddy and during several instances, road users end up skidding.”
When queried about this, a Corporation official said the civic body is carrying out an ambitious plan to lay concrete roads across the city. “The problem is that the Sowcarpet area has streets that are very narrow and hence the roads cannot be blacktopped often.
We are planning to include these areas under the concrete road scheme which will put a permanent end to the problem,” the official said.