CHENNAI: A 500-metre long stretch on the side of the Taramani Link Road beginning from Athipathi Hospital in Velachery and ending near the Tansi Nagar bus stop, has been left damaged for more than 10 months now.
This has put over 100 owners of shops and showrooms along the road, and thousands of commuters and residents, into hardship. Another stretch of the same length on the road, from the Tata Consultancy Services office, is also in a pathetic condition.
What is alarming is that the stretch that has been reportedly dug up for laying a stormwater drain connecting the Velachery lake and Buckingham Canal at Kotturpuram, has hospitals, banks and even a business school. But the path leading to all of these establishments, including hundreds of shops and showrooms, is narrow, with just enough space for pedestrians and two-wheelers to make their way.
Speaking to City Express, R Janakiraman, a resident of Varadharaja Puram in Velachery, rued that it was tough for people to commute in case of medical emergencies. A nurse at Athipathi Hospital lamented that it was tough for patients on wheelchairs to make their way to the hospital because the road outside the hospital had been dug up.
City Express found that over a dozen shops, including a dental clinic on the road, had downed their shutters due to this reason. “We are incurring a heavy loss. I pay `1 lakh for the rent of this store and don’t even earn 20 per cent of it these days. This is because people have not been turning up at our shop as the road is blocked,” said S Chockalingam, who manages a garment shop on the stretch.
The owner of ARS Fruit Shop, who had also suffered losses, said that every time he took up the issue, he was promised that the work would be completed soon. S Suresh, an auto driver, lamented that traffic during peak hours and the dust raised by vehicles, worsened the situation.
When City Express got in touch with the chief engineer in charge of the roads from the Corporation, he clarified that the work was delayed because the contract was terminated half way through the work, and fresh tenders were invited much later.
He explained that the stormwater drain was being constructed to discharge excess of water from the Velachery lake to Buckingham Canal and to prevent inundation during rains.
“Three-fourth of the work on Taramani Link Road is complete, but the work on OMR will begin soon,” he added.