CHENNAI : Motorists travelling through Anna Nagar can now breathe easy as the roads of the arterial Shanthi Colony, 5th Avenue and 4th Avenue have been relaid. This action comes after an article recently published by CE highlighted the dangerous condition of the roads.In May 2019, the Chennai Metro Water Supply and Sewerage Board (CMWSSB) had dug the roads to lay pipelines. Following this, roads were pothole-riddled and dangerous.
“All these roads have been milled and relaid. By next Wednesday, we will begin pothole patching works on 70 interior roads of Anna Nagar to avoid accidents and injuries during the monsoon,” said a Corporation official.Some of the streets with poor roads include Anna Nagar 6th Avenue, 14th Main Road, 12th Main Road H Block and the arterial 2nd Avenue, which house many Metro stations.
“We are finally heaving a sigh of relief, after a year. All these months, we had to struggle with bumpy roads. With Shanthi Colony being an arterial path, we could not avoid passing through it. The Corporation must take initiatives and finish the repair works in the others roads at the earliest,” said Arun Raja, a resident of Anna Nagar.
Parvathi Ramakrishnan, another resident, said that the potholes are mostly covered by rubble instead of tar, making the roads more dangerous. “That was what made Shanthi Colony impassable. While carrying out repair works in other streets, Corporation workmen must ensure this does not happen,” she said.However, encroachments still continue to be a major issue in the area, including Shanthi Colony. Illegal parking by Metro commuters and vegetable shop visitors, food stalls and bike repair shops constitute the major chunk of encroachers. The officials are yet to take action on this.