A year after a bicycle ride turned fatal for an eight-year-old girl in Velachery, construction material and debris, which led to the child’s death, continues to be dumped haphazardly across interior roads in the city.
On April 21 last year, a load autorickshaw hit D. Madhumitha, after her bicycle skid on construction debris dumped on Fourth Street in Lakshmi Nagar. She was killed instantly.
Madhumitha was a class III student of G.K. Shetty Vidyalaya Matriculation Higher Secondary School in Adambakkam, and the accident occurred on the first day of her summer vacation, when she was out for a fun ride.
One year on, not much has changed on the road, where construction material is still piled in various spots, posing a threat to neighbourhood children who play there.
“Many of the children on this road have started to play, as the school vacations have begun. It is not possible for adults to constantly monitor their activities. Several parents in the locality are extremely worried now because of the construction debris, in the light of what happened to our family,” said Dilli Babu, Madhumitha’s father.
Mr. Babu said that after the tragic accident last summer, the construction material was removed. “But a few days later, it began again. Many stretches in this area continue to be blocked by mounds of sand and debris. We reported this to the Chennai Corporation helpline a few days ago. But so far, no action has been taken,” he said.
“I do not want another accident in this locality. I had so many hopes and dreams for my daughter. She wanted to become a doctor. But her life was cut short because the Corporation does not take any action against the illegal use of road space for the dumping of debris,” he added.
Residents in the neighbourhood said heaps of sand on the roads had not been cleared for almost 10 months, and that it was extremely difficult to manoeuvre around such blockages. Repeated complaints to the owners and authorities have been of no use, said a resident.
