The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Suburbs spruced up for Kalam's visit

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Feb 21, 2007
ePaper


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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Suburbs spruced up for Kalam's visit

Staff Reporter

Government employees clean roads, clear garbage

HECTIC ACTIVITY: Bharata Mata Salai in East Tambaram being re-laid on Tuesday, just ahead of President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam's visit later this week. — Photo: A. Muralitharan

TAMBARAM: In a sudden burst of activity, employees of government departments were out in large numbers cleaning roads, clearing garbage and carrying out repairs to lampposts in the southern suburbs.

From Monday onwards, government staff began the mass cleaning operation in Tambaram, Chromepet, Pallavaram, Chitlapakkam and nearby areas to make the areas `presentable' ahead of the visit of President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam to Madras Christian College in Tambaram and his alma mater, Madras Institute of Technology in Chromepet on Friday.

The State Highways Department engaged workers to clear accumulated silt on the sides of medians and also in road corners. For several years, there have been complaints from motorists and civic groups about the problems posed by the accumulated silt, but government agencies were unmoved.

Similarly, Bharatha Matha Street linking Velachery Main Road and MIT in Chromepet via Tambaram Sanatorium and Chitlapakkam has been in a pathetic condition for a long time that residents do not even remember the last time it was re-laid or patchworks carried out.

Now, in a hurry, the road is being re-laid for the President's visit, officials conceded. Workers were also seen carrying out repairs to lampposts on GST Road and apart from fixing new bulbs in those posts that did not have any.

A fresh coat of paint was also applied to the medians.

Garbage spotted by officials along the route the President is expected to take was cleared immediately. In a couple of days time' the entire stretch would sport a completely spruced up look officials said.

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