Traffic flow hit by incomplete footpath work

The 60-feet stretch has become narrow due to granite blocks that are lying there.

April 25, 2015 06:27 pm | Updated 06:27 pm IST

Pavement work not complete properly at Wall Tax Road on Wednesday. Photo: R. Ragu

Pavement work not complete properly at Wall Tax Road on Wednesday. Photo: R. Ragu

For a few months now, a semi-finished concrete footpath greets pedestrians on Wall Tax Road, between Central railway station and a junction at the Elephant Gate police station, a distance of around two kilometres. Reason: the contractor abandoned the project as the price of cement and sand increased.

The incomplete work is hindering free movement of pedestrians and motorists as the footpath occupies a small portion of the road. Rows of granite slabs can be seen on both sides of Wall Tax Road, near the entrance of the Central railway station.

“A portion of the stretch has a new footpath on both sides. But, the rest of the stretch, especially the section near the subway at the Central railway station, no footpath has been laid,” said K. Raja, a resident of Basin Bridge.

The four-km-Wall Tax Road connects Poonamallee High (PH) Road with Basin Bridge and is a busy stretch dotted with many government-owned godowns and wholesale establishments. Corporation officials said that homeless people squatting on the pavements were hindering the smooth completion of the work. “We have to clear the area before new granite slabs can be laid . With help from the police, we would commence the work soon,” said a Corporation official.

Originally, Wall Tax Road was a 60-feet stretch but after the construction of a concrete median last month and a footpath, it remains narrow, especially the section from Central railway station to Basin Bridge. “Wall Tax Road is located next to the city’s biggest railway station where the flow of passengers is continuous. Lack of pavements makes it unsafe for us to walk on this road,” said S.Maliga, a resident of Seven Wells.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.