The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Stench of encroachments on ECR lane

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Wednesday, Apr 01, 2009
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Stench of encroachments on ECR lane

Deepa H Ramakrishnan

Vehicles are forced to slow down, thus sparking traffic jam near the spot

— Photo: M. Karunakaran

Traffic hurdle: Fish hawkers’ make-shift shops, encroaching upon a stretch of East Coast Road, pose challenges to motorists and pedestrians.

CHENNAI: With fish vendors encroaching upon almost one lane of the East Coast Road near Kottivakkam, motorists are finding it difficult to drive through the stretch. Vehicles are forced to slow down thus creating a traffic jam near the spot, particularly during rush hour. Motorists have to drive carefully to avoid hitting customers buying fish and other pedestrians.

Around 10 vendors have taken up space in front of the local fish market and refuse to budge. The women sell fish on the road both in the mornings and evenings and leave behind the wooden boxes and cutting boards on the road. They also use road space to dry the fish.

“There is enough space inside the market, but the women refuse to come inside. As they are right in the front, many people prefer to buy from them. The women sometimes say that only their fish is fresh and our fish is stale, which puts off people,” said a fisherwoman inside the market.

As they have encroached upon the footpath too, pedestrians are forced to walk on the road. “Recently, a woman, who walked on the road, was injured after she was hit by a speeding vehicle,” said Murugan, a local.

“We have filed a complaint with the village panchayat seeking their help in the matter but they have not done anything. The panchayat only said that it was a squabble between women and asked us to resolve the issue in an amicable manner,” he added.

Rajeshwari, a fruit-vendor nearby, said a swarm of flies settled on the fish and posed a health hazard. She said that when passers-by asked the fisherwomen to move from the road the women abused them several times.

Kanchipuram District Collector Santhosh K Misra told The Hindu that it was a case of illegal hawking. “The local police will be asked to regulate the area on a continuous basis. If the women are sent inside the market repeatedly, they will not come out after sometime.”

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Tamil Nadu