With Aadi shopping at its peak, T. Nagar is submerged in a sea of humanity. Pedestrian traffic on Ranganathan Street and South Usman Road is greater than at any other time of the year. But have measures been put in place to ensure the safety of the shopping crowd?
The festivity mood can be easily change on an unlucky day, marred because, as per the data obtained from the Tamil Nadu Fire and Rescue Services (TNFRS), none of the commercial establishments do not have has adequate fire fighting equipment. as per the data obtained from Tamil Nadu Fire and Rescue Services (TNFRS).
The T. Nagar Residents Welfare Association members say that if a fire breaks out at any of the inside the commercial establishments, which have failed to comply with fire-safety mechanisms, a catastrophe of mammoth proportions is likely to occur.
In the event of an emergency, a fire brigade or an ambulance cannot enter South Usman Road and Ranganathan Street, as the hawkers on the service lanes of Usman Road have occupied the road space and are unwilling to relocate with their wares to the Pondy Bazaar Hawkers Complex.
The streets, abutting Usman Road, are encroached by the hawkers. Even after allotment of space at the complex in Pondy Bazaar, the hawkers are still hanging around Usman Road and its surrounding streets, the members pointed out.
“Ranganathan Street and Railway Border Road are , is not only encroached by not only by hawkers, and vendors, but also by commercial establishments. How will the ambulances and fire-tenders enter these stretches in times of an emergency? Adding fuel to the fire, the commercial establishments have not put lack fire-safety measures in place,” they said.
“Adding to residents’ woes of the residents, the Chennai Corporation is toying with an idea of extending the flyover towards South and North of Usman Road Flyover aimed at decongesting the area. The Civic body has not learnt any lessons from constructing a fly-over on Usman Road, which serves no purpose, except for enabling encroachments. The extension of Usman Road flyover towards South and North would only aggravate the prevailing chaos,” Association members added.
