CHENNAI: Riding on pothole-ridden roads may be a monsoon-time affair for most residents in the city. However, this hardship is the ‘ride for all seasons’ in Perumbakkam. “This area has been ignored by the authorities for the past seven years. You cannot find even a single 100-metre stretch of decent road here,” said Abdul Kadar, a resident of Netaji Nagar in Perumbakkam.
Nookampalayam and Perumbakkam stretches are the two major roads in the vicinity. While the officials have the luxury of attributing the poor quality of the Perumbakkam main road to the ongoing metro rail work, the residents ask what prevents them from relaying the battered Nookampalayam main road stretch.
Apart from poor road conditions, accumulation of dust and unregulated traffic are the other major issues plaguing commuters in Perumbakkam, especially during peak hours. People ride two-wheelers in both directions of the main road, further adding to the mess. “Nookampalayam main road connects Perumbakkam with Semmencheri and OMR. There is no metro work happening on this road, yet the battered road is not being relaid,” said N Madan, a vendor from Perumbakkam.
Perumbakkam panchayat lies between Pallikaranai and Semmencheri, both corporation areas. Residents feel their area is left behind when it comes to infrastructure development and basic amenities. “Semmencheri and Pallikaranai get better roads, while Perumbakkam has to wait for several years,” has been a common sentiment being echoed among the area’s residents.
K Ramanujam, who is an IT employee and a resident of Perumbakkam, said the road condition has only worsened over the years. “I moved to Perumbakkam eight years ago due to its proximity to the OMR. However, the quality of these roads was poor even before the metro works began. Authorities are interested in taking up only patchwork,” he further added.
Officials, however, maintain that funds are awaited from the government for road work in Perumbakkam. Perumbakkam panchayat president Suhasini Rangarajan told TNIE, “Nookampalayam main roads belong to the highway department and they have floated a tender to lay new roads. Meanwhile, the CMDA has sanctioned around `6 crore for laying new roads in Perumbakkam. We are hopeful that the work will begin soon.”