The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Alandur residents seek access to their area from Kathipara grade separator

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Thursday, Nov 06, 2008
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Alandur residents seek access to their area from Kathipara grade separator

K.Manikandan

Councillors raise the issue at the recent council meeting

— Photo: A. Muralitharan

Long way to go: Residents of Alandur Municipality, who are forced to take detours, want a ‘U’ turn near Balaji Hospital in Guindy.

TAMBARAM: The Kathipara grade separator might have eliminated traffic snarls at the junction and eased movement of traffic towards many directions, but for residents of localities near the facility it is translating into more time and expenditure to reach certain destinations.

A case in point is that of the residents and elected representatives of Alandur Municipality who, a few days ago, urged the National Highways Authority of India and Chennai Suburban Police to initiate measures to ensure easy access to their localities from the facility.

At the recent meeting of the Alandur Municipal Council, the issue was raised by councillors. They said that the construction of the grade separator had denied direct and easy access to Alandur for motorists coming from Tambaram and Poonamallee sides. Before the construction of the Rs.260-crore facility, motorists from Poonamallee and Tambaram could travel around the roundabout to reach the office of Alandur Municipality, the Regional Transport Office, the Judicial Magistrate and District Munsiff courts, office of Tamil Nadu Water Supply and Drainage Board and offices of the State Highways Department, among others.

When construction of the grade separator began, a ‘U’ turn facility was provided on Grand Southern Trunk Road opposite Balaji Hospital. With the commissioning of the grade separator, motorists from Tambaram and Poonamallee have to travel till Little Mount and reach Alandur via Raj Bhavan and Guindy, a detour of more than 5 km.

In a statement, Municipal Chairman R. S. Bharathi appealed to Chennai Suburban Police Commissioner S. R. Jangid to take steps for provision of a ‘U’ turn to ensure direct access to Alandur from Tambaram and Poonamallee.

At present, motorists from Tambaram and Poonamallee travelled on the ramps before reaching the main access leading to GST Road towards airport and travelled on the wrong side to reach these government offices in Alandur, at huge risks to themselves and other road users .

During an interaction with the media on Wednesday, Mr. Jangid said they continued to have discussions with officials of the NHAI on providing access to those places where residents found it difficult to reach after the grade separator’s construction. He said an access to Alandur would be created underneath the facility for the benefit of motorists.

At the same time, it was not possible to restore ‘U’ turns anywhere near the grade separator’s facility as it would result in severe problems, he added.

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