Greenways Road, officially known as P. S. Kumarasamy Raja Salai, in R.A. Puram has many high-profile residents. It has for long been a prestigious address. It was therefore a matter of surprise for me to notice civic issues out in the open and in an ugly form at a section of this posh neighbourhood.
Passers-by urinate on the compound wall of Vasantha Vihar, the headquarters of the Krishnamurti Foundation of India, which is located on this stretch.
The practice is so entrenched that an unbearably foul odour hangs over the pavement adjoining the compound wall, making it almost impossible for pedestrians to walk on it.
There are visitors to the KFI who have complained about the stench carrying to them even when they are well inside the premises. If this is an unpleasant experience, how will you define the plight of visitors to a restaurant located near the pavement?
“For about 10 years, this place has been as dirty as this,” says Murthy, a resident of the area for around three decades.
He suggests that the Corporation can maintain a mini-garden on the pavement to prevent people from urinating there.
Residents and people frequenting this section face another problem. Illegally and haphazardly parked vehicles.
Vehicles of various sizes, including cars, tempo travellers and an are regularly parked in front of the KFI.
This line of vehicles obstruct the view of a motorist driving out of the KFI. “It’s a hazard,” says a visitor to KFI, adding that he has to drive so carefully at the entrance to ensure his vehicle doesn’t collide with any fast-moving vehicles passing by.
“The parking of vehicles has to be banned as it causes nuisance to the public,” he says.
These parked vehicles cause one more problem. As they are parked permanently, conservancy workers find it difficult to clean the particular area.
