The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : A road left in a shambles

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Nov 24, 2006
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

A road left in a shambles

T. Madhavan

Arcot Road languishing after the 1998-99 works, villagers complain

REFURBISHING: Temporary repair works being carried out on the Chennai-Kodambakkam Arcot Road near Kunrathur recently. — PHOTO: A. Muralitharan

CHENNAI : The Kodambakkam-Arcot Road leading to Arcot via Sriperumbudur has been languishing for years now, villagers on its flanks complain.

The Highways Department takes up some remedial measures when water from Chembarambakkam Lake overflows onto the Kundrathur-Sriperumbudur Road. After last week's rain, the road has been reduced to a mud track, particularly the stretch between Kundrathur and Vengadu one can see more potholes than smooth stretches.

In Sirugalathur village the rain has left big craters. Travelling in a vehicle, be it a two-wheeler or a four-wheeler, from Amaranpedu, Somangalam, Puduper and Vengadu is dangerous.

Bus services minimal

As there are only minimal bus services in this section, many prefer to travel by two-wheeler to reach their destinations.

Road works were carried out in 1998-99 at a huge cost, after which no improvements were done, said a resident of Nandambakkam.

Repeated meetings with Highways authorities have failed to see any improvements on this arterial road, he added.

S. Murthy, who frequently uses this road, says the road was once referred as Madras-Kodambakkam-Arcot Road and Nawabs of Arcot used this route to travel to Arcot and Vellore on chariots.

Development needed

A schoolteacher from nearby Kundrathur said it was imperative to widen this road as a four-lane stretch and complete relaying was necessary.

According to him, if these measures were taken, it would serve as an alternative road for those from Vadapalani and Porur side to reach Sriperumbudur bypassing the congested Mount-Poonamallee Road. The Mount-Poonamallee Road is currently saturated with vehicles of all sorts, particularly the stretch between Porur junction and Sri Ramachandra Medical College in Ayyapanthangal, proving a nightmare for motorists.

However, Highways Department officials in the Divisional Engineer's office at Chengalpattu maintained that they had been carrying out periodical maintenance works on the road. On Friday, workers of the department were involved in carrying out filling works near Sirukalathur near Kundrathur.

Development works would soon commence, for which tenders had been called to the tune of Rs. 20 crore, the officials said. According to them, improvement works would be carried out on the 23-km stretch between Porur and Sriperumbudur.

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