A coat of bitumen has been proving elusive for a road that provides residents of Nemilichery, Nanmangalam and Chromepet Radha Nagar quick access to Pallavaram-Thoraipakkam 200ft Radial Road. Once they hit the Radial Road, they can head to Grand Southern Trunk Road, Tambaram-Velachery Main Road, or even Old Mahabalipuram Road. But for this link road, residents of Chromepet and Nemilichery would have to undergo a long wait at Chromepet railway level-crossing before reaching Radial Road. Between Nemilichery and Nanmangalam alone, there are three private schools and many schoolchildren use the stretch.
Considering the significance of this link road, it is surprising that it is being stubbornly ignored by the local civic authorities.
Shanthi, a long-time resident of Nemilichery, says, “Whenever we book cabs, drivers refuse to come here, complaining about the poor the condition of the road. Making use of our helplessness, autorickshaw drivers fleece us. So, for residents, using their own vehicles is the only attractive option. Last year, my daughter-in-law met with an accident on this stretch while she was taking my grandson to the school in her scooter. Besides being muddy and pitted, the road lacks sufficient illumination.” Many women and senior citizens from Nemilichery avoid this stretch at night. Before the floods in 2015, the road was comparatively better, say residents.
“After the 2015 floods and cyclone Vardah in 2016, the street lamps stopped working and the road became almost unmotorable. The CCTV cameras fixed on the stretch were also damaged. The cameras were not repaired or replaced, but removed,” says Raghavan, a resident of Zameen Royapettah who frequents this road.
Despite the problems, number of residents take this stretch to avoid a detour of 2-km to reach Radial Road.
“Many schoolchildren have fallen from their cycles and suffered minor injuries,” says Rajesh, a local police personnel and a resident of Zameen Royapettah.
Residents complain that several representations to the authorities have gone in vain. “After repeated complaints, only gravel and sand would be placed on the road, which makes it dusty and slippery,” says Rajesh. Reportedly, when the nearby Nemilichery lake was desilted and deepened, the sand from the bunds was laid on the stretch. “During rains, the stretch gets dangerously slippery,” says a professor of a nearby educational institution. Murugan, a construction worker in the area, says, “I escaped by a whisker when a huge brick fell off a lorry trundling through the bumpy stretch.”
