CHENNAI: Inadequate lighting along the Nelson Manickam road — one of the arterial stretches in the city — has made commuting dangerous. The 1.72-km stretch, which connects Nungambakkam with Aminjikarai, is dotted with private hospitals, shopping malls and educational institutions.
On an average, 60,000 vehicles use the road every hour during the evenings, according to official data. The issue here is that a section of streetlights suddenly stops working every now and then. Once they are repaired, another section goes off.
Since it is also one of the most accident-prone stretches in the city, dysfunctional streetlights add to the woes. “Post lockdown, using the stretch after 10 pm has become a nightmare. As a section of road plunges into darkness, anti-social elements frequent the area. It is very unsafe for women,” said a nurse working in a private hospitals on the stretch, on condition of anonymity.
Coupled with poor roads (near the passport seva office), motorists are forced to avoid the arterial stretch. “When it rains, potholes are filled with water and since the streetlights seldom work, motorists trip over these potholes. Due to this, even cab and bike taxi drivers hesitate to accept rides,” said a resident of Arumbakkam, M Nasrullah.
Regular motorits say minor accidents are common. “When I was driving along the stretch last month, streetlights near the flyover were not working. I could not see a stray dog crossing the road until I went very close. In a bid to avoid hitting it, I slipped and fell.
Though I escaped with minor injuries, major mishaps could happen due to this civic apathy,” said N Praveen, a civic activist. When contacted, an official said repair works were taken up to repair a few streetlights. They will look into the issue.