CHENNAI: Five days after a Class 12 girl, who was returning home from Independence Day celebrations in her school, was run over by an MTC bus on the heavily encroached Rajendra Prasad Road in Chromepet, no action has been taken against the encroachers yet.
When TNIE visited the area on Saturday, at least 20 bikes were seen parked on the narrow street and roof sheets of more than 10 shops were jutting into the road leaving very little space for pedestrians. On August 15, P Lakshmipriya of Chromepet, was returning home on her bicycle on Rajendra Prasad Road when an Pozhichalur-bound MTC bus from Hasthinapuram rammed her from behind due to lack of space, killing her.
“We had submitted a letter to Pallavaram Municipality officials in November 2021 seeking action against encroachers. Had they acted on our complaint, the death could have been avoided. A day later, Tambaram Corporation staff removed squatters but they were back within 24 hours,” said Syed Shamsudeen, a civic activist from Pallavaram.
Nehru Nagar in Chitlapakkam, Vaidyalingam Road in Pallavaram and Pammal Main Road are some of the other areas with encroachments. Asbestos roof of shops extends into roads, food stalls operate stoves outside their premises and two-wheelers are parked on either side of the roads.
“Streetlight is another major issue. Driving becomes dangerous after dark. There are sharp turns and no road signs in several places. Accidents happen frequently as motorists ram parked vehicles. If no action is taken, the girl’s death may be the first of many fatalities,” said K Gayatri of Chitlapakkam.
A Tambaram Corporation area engineer said they soon will conduct an encroachment clearance drive. “We cleared encroachments on August 16. Warning was given to food stalls. Everything will be cleared during the drive,” the official said.