VILLUPURAM : Hesitant to take a one-km detour due to the ongoing Ellis Chatram overbridge work at VAO Nagar in Villupuram, commuters turn to muddy and uneven shortcuts, risking their lives. Though police placed barricades to close the narrow passage, motorists use the road after removing them at night.
On Thursday morning, a person with a disability, navigating the chaotic terrain on a tricycle, narrowly escaped a collision with a two-wheeler.
“Even cars are using the small passage to escape the detour and along with other speeding vehicles on the Chennai-Tiruchy national highway, this has become a major issue. Moreover, as the construction of the overbridge is blocking the road view, vehicles coming out of the passage are almost unseen which increases risk of accidents,” said K Kumar (45), a VAO Nagar resident.
“Women riders who wear saree are risking their lives by taking the muddy passage as there are chances that the cloth get stuck to stones on either side. Traffic police and district administration should insist the highways department take steps to resolve the issue,” said H Rahima (33), another resident.
When inquired, a senior traffic police officer told TNIE that the public is not cooperating with the authorities. “Though we place barricades, people remove them at night. There is no other way for us to stop the people from taking the passage.” We will place more barricades and deploy traffic police to regulate the traffic there, he added.