CHENNAI: To reduce their travel distance to Wimco Nagar metro station by a whopping 5 km and to avoid using the Ennore Harbour Road, which is frequented by heavy vehicles, the Manali Pudhunagar residents have urged the authorities to construct a link road from their locality to the station through Sadayankuppam and Jothi Nagar.
“In the long term, the metro rail services should also be extended to our locality,” they demanded.
According to the residents, Manali Pudhunagar is home to over 30,000 people and the population would breach 60,000 if the neighbouring villages are taken into account.
There are also several industries in Vichoor and Sadaiyankuppam. However, the residents have to solely rely on buses and private vehicles for transportation.
“Developed by the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA), which was then known as the Madras Metropolitan Development Authority (MMDA) in 1979, Manali Pudhunagar was marketed as a satellite township. However, it has yet to receive adequate facilities to match that classification. There is no plan as of now to connect the locality through metro rail. Due to the absence of a link road, we have to take a circuitous route to the Wimco Nagar metro station,” said Thenkanal, who is part of the committee formed by the residents to demand metro rail connectivity to the area.
Making matters worse, the numerous container yards that extend up to 8 km beyond the Madras Fertilizer Limited lead to severe traffic congestion on the road to the metro station. “The road is always filled with heavy vehicles and there several accidents have occurred here over the years. As an immediate measure, we urge the corporation to obtain permission from the departments concerned and construct a link road through Sadayankuppam and Jothi Nagar. Though the road is used by two-wheelers and pedestrians, it is still a mud road,” said another resident.
The residents on Sunday conducted a meeting and highlighted their demands. There are also three complexes constructed by the Tamil Nadu Urban Habitat Development Board in the locality and the population in the surrounding area will only increase as there are several empty plots there. Providing metro rail connectivity will benefit all of them. We are planning to meet the elected representatives to fulfil this demand, said the residents.
Ward 16 councillor Rajendran said he has asked the VAO for the documents to ascertain if the land for the link road belongs to the public works department or the revenue department.
“Once we get the details, we will seek a no-objection certificate from the authorities after which the corporation will construct the link road,” he added.
