The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Residents despair as traffic chaos reigns on T.H. Road

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Jun 26, 2006

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Residents despair as traffic chaos reigns on T.H. Road

Swahilya

North Chennai arterial thoroughfare `neglected by the authorities'

TRAFFIC GRIDLOCK: North Chennai residents are sore over the neglect of the deteriorating traffic conditions on the Tiruvottriyur High (T.H.) Road. — Photo: M. VEDHAN

CHENNAI: Tiruvottriyur High (T.H.) Road is one of the arterial roads and a major conduit for heavy vehicles from Central Station to Ennore, connecting the Manali Industrial Estate. Despite several promises and change of Governments the condition of the road has not just remained the same, but deteriorated over the last few decades.

Simon Krish, a long time resident who travels to South Chennai from Tiruvottriyur, shares the common complaint of many a North Chennai resident: "North Chennai has always remained and continues to remain a neglected area both by the administration and politicians."

At the Toll Gate Junction, there are weighbridge units for which containers have to halt and make U or right turns. "One must see to believe the severe traffic congestion at this point between 8 a.m. and 10 a.m.," says a resident. No step has so far been taken to widen the road and clear encroachments.

The road between Toll Gate to Beach road is also narrow. Containers using the weighbridge on the stretch do not have enough space to enter and the vehicles are parked on the main road itself. This causes hardship to commuters who board buses at the Tollgate Bus depot.

Uneven width

Encroachments by tea shops, fruit vendors and some shops on the main road at the Toll Gate junction are a major problem for motorists, pedestrians and commuters alike. The T.H. Road is of uneven width from Toll Gate to the Ernavoor Gate Bridge. While it is wide at Thangal, it is narrow at Kaladipet and Tiruvottriyur Markets, Ajax bus terminus and at the Toll Gate Junction. "If one bus stops at Toll Gate, all vehicles will have to queue behind it," Mr. Krish said.

Residents want the encroachments behind the bus stand at Toll Gate to be removed and the weighbridge operators relocated to ease the bottlenecks. The congestion due to encroachments by shops is also acutely felt on T.H. Road near WIMCO.

A.T.B. Bose, Secretary of Kavi Bharathi Vidyalaya School, opposite the Tiruvottriyur Bus Depot, says another major problem is the road surface was not broken while being re-laid.

"Due to this, the height of the road has increased by four feet. Water enters houses along the road during heavy rain as they are below the road level in several places."

State Minister and Tiruvottriyur MLA, K.P.P. Samy, said he has written to the Minister for Local Administration and will be meeting the Secretary to take up a project for works such as road widening, removing encroachments, providing for two-way traffic with a central median and lighting, providing storm water drains on either sides of T.H. Road.

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