CHENNAI: Raised manholes, lack of pedestrian infrastructure and drinking water connections are some of the major issues faced by residents of the Sholinganallur zone.“In places like Elcot Avenue Road, manhole covers are raised which causes accidents at night. There are also a lot of empty plots in the area where there is waterlogging still,” said Nagarjuna Akurati, a resident of the zone.
The zone has several accident prone zones, one of which is from OMR to MGR road where the service lane is at a greater height than the main road, said residents. “There have been multiple occasions when lorries carrying goods have toppled over while trying to enter the service lane from the main road due to the difference in height,” said T Deena, a resident.
As for pedestrian infrastructure, footpaths remain unused because of parked vehicles and broken footpaths in several parts of the zone. A look at road fatalities in 2019 (before onset of Covid-19), 55% of those killed in accidents in Old Mahabalipuram Road were pedestrians. Foot over bridges are rarely used.
“Footpaths should be maintained properly so as to prevent accidents because people prefer not to use the foot over bridges. In many parts of Sholinganallur main road, the footpath is broken and left unfinished and pedestrians including students from the colleges on the stretch, have a difficult time walking,” said Santhanalakshmi M, who works in Sholinganallur.
With mushrooming apartment complexes, many are yet to get drinking water and sewage connections from metro water, said residents. “At present, residents in many apartments depend on tankers for their water needs,” said Venkatesh K, a Sholinganallur resident. Like the Perungudi zone, Sholinganallur also has several empty plots where water stagnate and not maintained by owners.