The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Alternative route

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Dec 31, 2007
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Alternative route

The city is expanding towards south and the residents of the East Coast Road, Old Mahabalipuram Road, Velacherry etc. are using the Kamaraj Salai frequently to come to North and Central Chennai. Owing to heavy traffic, the Santhome High Road upto the Greenways Road is always choked with traffic.

Hence, it is requested that an alternative route be found for Adyar from the Kamaraj Salai. It would be highly appreciated if a road across the Adyar river was constructed by extending the Foreshore Estate Road upto the Elliots Beach road so that vehicles from the Kamaraj Salai would use this bridge to go towards Adyar and further ahead and avoid going through the Santhome Area.

Since it would a boon for travellers and save up fuel and time, the project should not be stalled on environmental ground. R. Manikandan

Mannady.

Pollution menace

The residents of Nehru Street and adjacent streets in TMP Nagar, Padi, are facing noise, air and water pollution.

According to the master plan and the DTP, TMP Nagar is a residential area but not an industrial belt. Taking advantage of its proximity to the Ambattur Industrial Estate, some greedy elements, instead of constructing houses at their sites — violating all norms of planning and DTP — have set up big industrial units with heavy noise-producing machines and big godowns for iron goods, scrap and wood works.

Some houses have even been converted into factories, operating round the clock, all without proper infrastructure. The area has now virtually turned into a mini-industrial estate. The cumulative effect of these developments is frequent movement of vehicles for loading and unloading, usage of chemicals and burning of toxic materials — all enough for polluting the whole atmosphere and affecting the residents.

The residents are mute spectators who have to suffer silently.

This is an SOS from the residents to the Ambattur Municipality to take stern action to help the residents in distress.

I. Rajona

Padi

Plight of Thattankulam people

The outbreak of diarrhoeal diseases and the rise in the number of patients allegedly admitted in the Tondiarpet Communicable Diseases Hospital was clearly expressed in The Hindu. It’s really horrible to see the contaminated water causing the diseases.

The Metrowater should definitely take action on this issue and should put an end to the spread of diarrhoeal diseases. On the whole, basic amenities should be provided to the Thattankulam people.

M. Ratchagar

Cuddalore

Improve road infrastructure

This refers to “Commuters, motorists, pedestrians battle for road space” (The Hindu 18-12-2007). The Chennai City Traffic Police (CCTP) deserves much appreciation for having implemented a hassle-free one-way system to decongest the major intersections in South Chennai such as Tirumalai Pillai Road, Sardar Patel Road, Little Mount etc.

Apart from this, authorities from the CMDA, the Transport Department, the Chennai Corporation and the Highways Department should also initiate a joint study on traffic bottlenecks in North Chennai and improve the road infrastructure there.

For instance, certain important segments in Perambur, Ayanavaram, Villivakkam, Korukkupet, Washermenpet and Tondiarpet in North Chennai have grown by leaps and bounds and as a result, there is a necessity to augment road infrastructure in those areas.

K. Ramadoss

President, North Chennai Dt., Exnora

Widening of GST Road

The GST Road passes through Chromepet. In fact, it divides the town as New Colony on the west and Radhanagar on the east. As there are many educational institutions and kalyana mandapams in the New Colony area abutting the GST Road stretch, there is always traffic congestion. Moreover, there are police station, maternity nursing home and cinema theatre also. But the carriage way of the GST Road is quite narrow.

For a free flow of traffic, the Highways Department initiated the road-widening and stormwater drain work long ago. But, even after two years, the work is yet to be completed.

As a result, the public are finding it difficult to use the narrow stretch. Further the construction of stormwater drain also has not been completed.

The Mosque culvert of the GST Road is another pending work. Owing to delay in construction of the culvert and the stormwater drain work during rainy seasons, the entire stretch is inundated and traffic comes to a grinding halt!

We appeal to the Highways Secretary to look into our grievances and instruct the contractor concerned to complete the works fast.

V. Santhanam

President, Chromepet New Colony RWS

Travel in sleeper coaches unpleasant

Though we have learnt to reconcile ourselves to the menace of hawkers and beggars and the disturbance from the unreserved passengers, now I find travelling in the second class sleeper coaches in trains the most unpleasant experience.

The compartments are dirty and infected with cockroaches; window shutters do not close properly; many toilet doors cannot be closed. Washbasins are either missing or choked. Taps are leaking or dummied. Though water is filled at designated stations, owing to leaking taps, toilets always go dry. I have complained to the railway staff repeatedly, but to no avail.

Coach numbers are not displayed clearly on trains or available on one side only.

Further, coach number location indicator boards on platforms are not available in many stations. When I travelled with aged relatives, with luggage on a religious tour I had many harrowing experiences in locating our reserved coach while boarding train at intermediate stations at night. Will the Railways make travelling a pleasure?

V. R. Sundaram

Saidapet West

Aggrieved commuters

The inadequate frequencies of Bus No. 23C and 47A, originating from Besant Nagar, leave the commuters of these routes high and dry. This suburb has many IT companies, banks, shopping complexes, eateries, beach and important places of worship. Consequently it attracts a lot of travelling public and tourists.

Between 5 to 6 p.m. the bus No. 29C makes frequent trips whereas 23C and 47A services do not extend the facility.The MTC authorities are requested to augment the services of these routes.

V. Krishnamoorthy

Kalakshetra Colony

Ramps or railings

The senior citizens living in Thiruvanmiyur and suburbs are finding it difficult to get into the bank premises or post offices as they could not use the steps which are high. It will be of immense help if ramps/railings are provided with supports on both sides.

It will also mitigate their plight if a separate counter is provided for the use of senior citizens to avoid standing in the queue as provided in the railway ticket counters. Rajam Venkataraman

Thiruvanmiyur

Sub-way remains unused

I recently visited Tambaram Sanatorium to see a friend living near the railway station.

Although there is a passenger subway on the southern side of the station, no passenger was found using it for extraneous reasons. The subway was created after a lot of agitations by residents some years ago.

The sub-way has been designed for the passengers to reach the bed of the subway on a low level through many steps and to re-climb the same number of steps to reach the ground level. Again, the subway does not end at the platform or in its vicinity exactly as at St. Thomas Mount, but it ends in the open air, throwing the rail users to the vagaries of hot sun and heavy rain. Moreover complaints were galore in the past about its non-maintenance.

It is ironical again that rail passengers are still crossing the railway tracks within a small space by the side of the level-crossing.

Under the circumstances, I suggest raising a small foot overbridge from the bed of the adjoining street on the western side with the landing of the FOB exactly on the platform over the high-tension electric wire (of course, with sufficient heavy insulations).

This is a lay man’s view. But the Railways may think over this on better lines.

M. Thyagarajan

Adambakkam

Poor condition of railway station

“I am a regular commuter by electric train. The condition of the Chetput suburban railway station is, of late, going from bad to worse. With darkness setting in earlier nowadays, the lamps are not switched on in time. Especially in the evening, in the staircase area there is always a serpentine queue to buy tickets. It is requested that the railway authorities take immediate measures to illuminate the platforms and the staircase.

S. R. Badrinarayanan

Kilpauk

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