A senior officer of Chennai Metro in charge of traffic management in Mylapore zone says that the company will do its best to ensure that Mylaporeans are not put to untold hardships as work on the underground rail lines gets underway.
He told Mylapore Times top of this week that Chennai Metro is working with Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) and Traffic Police to ensure traffic can flow smoothly on the diverted routes.
“After January 19, when all the planned blockades and diversions will be enforced tightly, we will focus on making the ways around the Mundagakanni Amman Street – Kalvivaru Street – Kutchery Road areas c lear for smooth flow of vehicles,” he said, admitting that many Mylaporeans have been saying that they feel they have been restricted to an island-like zone.
The officer said that Chennai Metro is working with local officers of GCC to remove encroachments that hinder traffic flow. “GCC staff admit they have some problems but we are pushing them,” he said.
It is obvious, that local GCC staff are not keen to push back hawkers in areas like Venkatesa Agraharam and the Mada Streets, fearing aggressive reactions. “:We realise the Mada Street hawkers use at least three feet of street space apart from the pavement to stock goods,” admitted the Metro officer who will depend solely on GCC to address this sore issue.
The officer said Chennai Metro is using its contractor’s help to fill all pot-holed roads and streets and will seek GCC help only to relay streets that need such attention.
Though the key Mandaveli Street has bene relaid from the west end towards the east, work has stopped midway and already, near the hawkers market area, the tar and earth has sunk in some places after relaying work.
The Metro officer says enough and more traffic marshals have been employed at all key junctions to aid traffic flow. “We have Tamil speaking men at work in the Luz and Mylapore – R H Road zones and a mix of Tamil and Hindi speaking staff in Mandaveli – Abhiramapuram zone but since engineers are manning all key junctions, the marshals are guided properly.”
He said that Chennai Metro respects feedback – it made allowances for people dropping off their kids at P S Senior School in Alamelumangapuram. “We want lots of feedback and will do what best we can for Mylapore,” he said.
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• Potholes are filled up with slush and mud as it has been done in Desika Road, Nageswara Rao park roads, CIT Nagar, Mandevelipakkam, the teeming slums occupying roads along the river in Abhiramapuram, the endlessly double sided parking in Mylapore, Mandaveli and Abhiramapiram, CP Ramaswamy Road, Eldams, Road, St Mary’s road. All the flat owners also park right outside on narrow roads. No towing service or traffic police in sight. How can a few road marshalls and people from Metro control teeming traffic when they have no right to levy fines or tow or clamp errant vehicles. Heavy fines should be collected from wrong side drivers also on all roads in Chennai. Also three or four people riding on a motorbike or scooter while traffic police are busy watching mobile apps and playing online games. Small children seated on the fuel tank of mobikes with no anchor or seat belt is even more visible than before. Chennai is a traffic nightmare in Adyar as well. Mobikes parked everywhere. No controllled zones or disciplinary action is taken. Police, Municipality is sleeping while vendors of all kinds encroach all narrow and arterial roads like around Mada Streets in Mylapore or in Triplicane area where no one can drive straight. This Chennai Municiplality is busy collecting tax and bribes while police is also thriving on bribes. The police eat free meals in Sangeetha hotel, Akshayam and other hotels and overlook all the illegalities.. The Kazhagams, both DMK amd ADMK are only interested in looting. Administration is zero.