A neglected stretch along the Cooum
A stretch of South Cooum River Road and Langs Garden Road with non-motorised transport infrastructure, along the Cooum River, has been damaged at Pudupet. Pedestrians and motorists are unable to use this stretch that falls under two wards of the Greater Chennai Corporation. After the Corporation created two-metre-wide footpaths for pedestrians, from Egmore to Chintadripet and Pudupet, the accumulation of huge quantities of debris and vehicle scrap has hindered pedestrian movement on South Cooum River Road. Traffic is chaotic.
Along the stretch of Langs Garden Road, the work executed by the National Highways Authority of India has led to construction debris piling up along the banks of the Cooum. Councillor Fathima Muzaffer says more than 8,000 residents along Langs Garden Road and its by-lanes are facing a flood risk this monsoon. “Residents are worried about flooding because of the reduction in the width of the Cooum. Sewage mixed with floodwater was the major issue last year. Senior citizens and children are vulnerable to infections. We are preparing relief shelters. Last monsoon, many flood-affected residents developed skin allergies as sewage mixed in the floodwater,” she says. Even after the Metrowater built infrastructure for sewage pumping and treatment in the area, the problems stemming from sewage have not been resolved.
B. Sumathi, a resident, says the stretch is unsafe for women in the evening because of poor street lights. A. Raja, a resident of Pudupet, says the motorists have started taking a circuitous route because the pavement has been damaged along South Cooum River Road. “Corporation officials clean the stretch whenever the issue is flagged on social media. Then they would not visit the stretch for months. South Cooum River Road increases the public health risk. Officials of the Corporation, the police, and other agencies have to take traders and residents on board to resolve the issues,” says Mr. Raja.
The councillors have also been receiving complaints about civic issues from the police personnel who have been residing in the area. “When the police quarters is flooded, the Corporation is unable to intervene. We need the cooperation of various agencies to resolve the issues on the stretch,” Ms. Muzaffer says.
When M. Karunanidhi was the Chief Minister from 2006 to 2011, the Corporation proposed to shift the auto spares traders and the auto-service shops along the stretch to the city outskirts after developing a new locality. Several shops were demolished in 2018 and a wall was constructed along the river before a footpath was laid.
In the past few years, many encroachments were reported from the stretch, and they hinder the movement of pedestrians on the footpath and the road. The area continues to attract a large number of people because the vehicle owners get services at a cheap rate. Many cab drivers depend on the traders and the shops here for maintenance of their vehicles. Residents have demanded regulation of the shops and the traders.
Published - November 10, 2024 10:55 pm IST
