For years now, an Aavin outlet has been an road block for residents living on Saraswathy Street in Mahalingapuram.
The outlet is located at the entrance of this street. The stretch is quite wide for two-way vehicular movement, except for its point of entry, which is half its size.
Now, residents want to know whether the milk and dairy booth has eaten into their road space or whether the road was planned to be like this: narrow at the opening and broad once you enter.
“This street is a residential area. It is also, however, an crucial link road connecting T. Nagar and Nungambakkam. Also, there are two important temples in the neighbourhood which are visited by numerous devotees every day. There is a heavy flow of traffic. As only one vehicle can enter or exit Saraswathy Street, the traffic gets blocked on the main road during the rush hour. If the booth has not encroached upon the road, I would call it poor road planning on the part of the Corsporation” says Prabhakar, a long-time resident.
The frontal view of the outlet does not give the impression that it is blocking people’s way. When you get into the road, it is clear it does. The road can be seen covering the entire breadth of the outlet.“If you look from outside, the street will look like a 20-feet road. In reality, it is triple that size. There is a huge complex right next to the booth. The milk outlet could have been situated inside it. If not there, it could at least have been placed somewhere else where it would not block the movement of vehicles,” says D. Mohan, another resident of Mahalingapuram.Many residents believe shifting out the booth would be the best solution. “The traffic police should look into the issue. We talk about encroachments by hawkers. This is a government-run establishment. At least its outlets should not be allowed to take up our road space. It should be shifted elsewhere for the benefit of the motorists,” he adds.
