The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Business hub’s cup of civic woes overflowing zone in

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Friday, Apr 25, 2008
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Business hub’s cup of civic woes overflowing zone in

Deepa H.Ramakrishnan

Non-functioning streetlights, absence of bus services to important locations …

— Photo: V. Ganesan

Crying for attention: Slum Clearance Board tenements on Cemetary Road, Old Washermenpet, are in need of urgent improvement.

CHENNAI: It’s difficult to imagine that this expansive and important Chennai Corporation Zone, which is home to Secretariat, Madras High Court, Chennai Port Trust, Fishing Harbour and Parry’s Corner, also has its share of civic woes such as traffic congestion, old drainage lines, water-logging and housing issues.

Being the heartland of Chennai’s central business district, Basin Bridge Zone attracts a lot of vehicular movement making traffic management one of the biggest challenges for the authorities.

On Rajaji Salai traffic, jam during rush hour is an everyday scene. “Lorries parked outside the port for entry passes eat up considerable space on the road. When there is a computer failure or some other problem at the port, the line-up of heavy vehicles is for longer periods. Some alternative parking space must be found for these vehicles,” an elected representative of the area said.

A resident of Old Pensioners’ Lane Abdul Haleem said sewage lines laid several decades ago posed a major problem for residents of the Old Washermenpet area. “They get clogged constantly.”

Other complaints that the residents have include non-functioning streetlights that make the stretches unsafe after dusk and absence of bus services to important locations in south Chennai such as Anna University and footpaths on Basin Bridge Road and Old Jail Road.

“Power cuts are not uncommon in our Zone. Water logging is an issue that dogs us during heavy rains. Ward 21 [Old Washermenpet] does not have any public toilets causing much inconvenience to the public,” he added.

Over 900 Slum Clearance Board tenements in Ward 21 are in a bad state.

The buildings were constructed over 25 years ago and residents say rainwater leaks through the ceiling and due to cracks in the pipeline sewage seeps into the walls. Sometimes big chunks of concrete slabs fall down.

Dhanalakshmi, a resident of D Block in the complex, said if at all the State Government planned to provide them with alternative housing, it should be in R.K. Nagar or nearby areas.

“We cannot go all the way to Kannagi Nagar. Most men in this area work as coolies in lorry sheds and as cleaners,” she said.

The Zone Chairman V. Shanmugasundaram said the issue of traffic could be resolved when the proposed flyover near Mint Bridge is commissioned. “Work on the subway near Stanley Hospital is expected to get over in about eight months. We have also asked for an over bridge on Rajaji Salai to decongest the area.”

“Based on requests from slum board residents, we have been asking for alternative housing. We have also sought land from Chennai Metrowater to construct public toilets in the area. As regards street lights we are making arrangements to have more bulbs and additional men and equipment for better maintenance,” he added.

Mr.Shanmugasundaram said a new cement road was being laid from the Royapuram signal to Tiruvottiyur High Road and the Chennai Corporation also planned to lay stormwater drains on Ibrahim Sahib Street, S.N. Chetty Street and Saravanan Street.

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