In the absence of a median and street lamps, the six-km-long Kundrathur Main Road, which connects Poonamallee and Kundrathur, has become unsafe for motorists and pedestrians.
Moreover, the road has not been relaid properly. The bitumen topping has chipped off at many places, exposing blue metal stones. As a result, motorists skid on the road, especially at night.
“As the stretch is poorly-lit, we rely on the headlights of our vehicles to navigate it. Therefore, noticing vehicles coming in the opposite direction and pedestrians crossing the stretch is difficult,” says K. Suresh of Kundrathur. Many residents of areas under Padapai Panchayat Union (which has 42 villages in Kancheepuram district) use the stretch. Also, residents of Nazarathpet, Sennerkuppam, Chembarabakkam, Mangadu, Kattupakkam, Maduravoyal and Vaanagaram take this road to reach St. Thomas Mount, Mylapore, Adyar and Velachery. In fact, bus termini at Poonamallee, Kundrathur and Iyyapanthangal operate buses to areas like Tambaram, Chromepet, Vadapalani, Porur and Mandavali and this stretch is part of these routes. Further, the stretch also serves as a less-congested route for vehicles from the city that are headed towards Sriperumbudur, Vellore and Bengaluru via Kundrathur. “Steps will be taken to repair the damaged portions and provide safety amenities on the stretch,” says a State Highways official.
