The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Encroachments, flyover project figure at civic meet

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Wednesday, May 28, 2008
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Encroachments, flyover project figure at civic meet

Staff Reporter

Rangarajapuram subway-cum-flyover remains a non-starter, say residents

Photo: R. Shivaji Rao

Mambalam residents discussing civic issues on Sunday. —

CHENNAI: A host of issues, including the need to remove encroachments on roads and expedite the Rangarajapuram flyover-cum-subway project, were highlighted by residents of Mambalam and surrounding localities at a meeting here on Sunday.

According to them, unless the agencies concerned initiate action to remove the encroachments and on the project, vehicular movement on the narrow stretches in the area would only become difficult, posing hardships to motorists and risks to pedestrians.

The encroachments, the residents said, were in many forms, including those by pavement dwellers, who despite being alternative land, continue to occupy the road. Likewise, places of worship on the pavements also contributed to the encroachments.

Haphazard parking of vehicles and an increase in the number of commercial establishments compounds the problems, said speakers at the meeting organised by the Mambalam Exnora Innovators Club.

A resident of Rukmani Street said the growth in the commercial establishments in the residential areas had resulted in an increase in the vehicle movement and unauthorised parking of vehicles in front of the houses.

Exnora International secretary R. Govindaraj said the Rangarajapuram subway-cum-flyover, which was announced even before the recently commissioned North Usman Road-Mahalingapuram flyover, remained a non-starter.

He wanted encroachments on the roads leading to the proposed project site near the Rangarajapuram railway level-crossing to be removed.

Otherwise, after implementation, the Rangarajapuram subway and flyover would go the Madley Road subway way, which remains under-utilised because of a place of worship in the middle of Elliamman Koil Street. It has led to a situation where Metropolitan Transport Corporation could not operate buses through the narrow road.

Mambalam Exnora Innovators Club secretary V. Murali said people from Nesapakkam, K.K.Nagar, West Saidapet and West Mambalam bound for Anna Salai, who now use the heavily congested the Duraiswamy subway, could be diverted to Madley Subway if the authorities relocated the place of worship.

The residents complained that pavement dwellers occupied a substantial portion of the Arya Gowda Road.

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