Bang in the middle

Friends of Chennai, a social initiative, was The Hindu’s gift to the city on its 375th birthday. FoC seeks to serve as a vehicle for residents’ hopes and concerns about the city. Today’s column takes a look at the problem of electricity poles that obstruct several roads in Kodungaiyur

A lack of coordination between officials of Tangedco and the Chennai Corporation is cited as a reason for the traffic problems in Kodungaiyur. Photo: B. Jothi Ramalingam

For the past few months, residents of Soundarya Nagar Extension in Kodungaiyur have had to navigate around an electricity pole that stands right in the middle of the recently-laid narrow road, posing a risk to motorists.

Soundarya Nagar is only one among the many areas that contend with this issue on a daily basis. Residents of Kodungaiyur say that several roads of the locality, including Annai Indira Main Road and Kattabomman Main Road, are obstructed by electricity poles.

Sri Vivek, a resident of Soundarya Nagar, complained that several electricity poles posed a hindrance in areas near Madhavaram where new roads have been laid without the poles being shifted. This has resulted in accidents on poorly-lit roads.

M. Mahalingam, a resident of Manali, in a post on Friends of Chennai, pointed out that poles on Manali High Road — an important link to GNT Road for residents of Madhavaram and Manali — often cause traffic bottlenecks.

A lack of coordination between officials of Tangedco and the Chennai Corporation is cited as a reason for the traffic problems in Kodungaiyur. A senior official of Tangedco said the normal procedure for shifting or removing electricity poles begins with the Corporation sending a request to the local officials of Tangedco. Based on the request, the poles are shifted after the civic body pays compensation for the work.

In the case of Soundarya Nagar Extension, the official said, Corporation officials and the road contractor had not informed local electricity staff before laying the new road.

Delays in shifting poles, lines and transformers has been a perennial problem, often affecting the progress of several road-widening and flyover projects. Work on widening Tambaram-Velachery Road, for instance, has been delayed due to the need to shift electric poles and lines.

“Work has been going on for the past six months on the Sembakkam and Kamarajapuram stretches. In Sembakkam, we widened the road till the point where lamp posts have been relocated. We can take up work beyond that once other poles are shifted,” said a source in the highways department.