Have you ever booked a cab, but had to walk a kilometre to take the ride? V. Rajasekaran has. In fact, this was not a one-off problem that he can laugh over at a tea party. Every time this resident of Rayappa Nagar in Varadharajapuram books a cab, he encounters it.
His house is located a kilometre off Outer Ring Road, and cab drivers refuse to cover that distance as the interior roads leading to the house are in a deplorable condition.
Residents of Rayappa Nagar in Varadharajapuram have appealed to the Varadharajapuram village panchayat to lay these roads at the earliest.
There are over 35 roads in Rayappa Nagar. The layout had been formed four decades ago when it was approved by the Directorate of Town and Country Planning (DTCP).
However, it was only in 2011 that the locality began to have a sizeable number of residents.
“In 2011, based on our request, the village panchayat laid a sandy stretch (consisting of sand and gravel). S.P. Ambrose I.A.S. Road. In 2014, Sivasubramaniam Road, R. Pasupathi Road and A.S. Venkataramanan I.A.S. Road and a few other sandy stretches were laid in the interior areas. Due to the heavy downpour in 2015 and last year’s light to moderate rainfall (Tambaram recorded 17cm), many of these sandy stretches were eroded. We have been requesting the panchayat to lay the roads properly. However, citing lack of funds, they have not done so,” residents said.
“For over five years, we have been representing the issue at ‘Grama Sabha’ meetings, but in vain,” the residents said.
These sandy stretches are difficult to navigate. Slippery, they pose a challenge to motorcyclists and cyclists.
“The sandy stretches should be re-laid as proper roads at the earliest. Two main roads, S.P. Ambrose I.A.S. Road and Sivasubramaniam Road should be re-laid as cement roads,” residents said.
The grama sabha meetings in the State are held on January 26, May 1, August 15 and October 2 every year.
A panchayat official said, “The Varadharajapuram village panchayat would soon be writing to the district Collectorate seeking funds for laying of the roads. Once the funds are sanctioned, the roads would be laid.”
