Absence of streetlights on the busy Thoraipakkam- Pallavaram Radial Road is posing problems for motorists.
“The illumination from the headlights is not enough on the road. In the daytime it takes me less than 25 minutes to reach the airport. But at night I find it diffictult and time-consuming due to lack of lights. The road also has some rough patches and lights would make a difference,” said Krishnamurthy, a cab driver of Perungudi.
The 10.6-km-long road, which links Rajiv Gandhi Salai to GST Road, is being preferred by several motorists after the completion of a bridge near Pallavaram. Only about 4 km coming under the Pallavaram Municipal limits has streetlights. This has been provided by the State Highways Department.
An official of the Highways Department said “We have provided the lights under the Road Safety Fund at a cost of Rs.1.1 crore. The lights have been handed over to the local body for maintenance. It is the work of the local bodies to provide lights but since they are not taking up the work, we install lights whenever we get funds.”
The road has been in existence for several years now and no local body has taken the trouble to install street lights. Pallikaranai and Thoraipakkam Panchayats are yet to install lights in their limits. Pallikaranai Panchayat president T. Panchalingam said that a resolution has been placed in the council for installation of lights. The work to install lights is expected to be taken up in a month.
Similarly the road connecting Medavakkam and Sholinganallur Road has streetlights burning only under the Sholinganallur limits. But, it is dark in the Perumbakkam Panchayat limit as the fixtures have been damaged by anti-social elements. Sources in the panchayat said the damaged streetlights would be replaced in a couple of days.
Many stretches of the busy Velachery Main Road also lack illumination.
S. Parthiban, who resides on Anna Street, Pallikaranai, said that pedestrians found it difficult to cross the road due to poor lighting. “The road is being used by hundreds of vehicles bound for several areas, including Medavakkam, Seethalapakkam and Camp Road. The road being a congested one, the lack of lighting is a cause of concern for motorists,” he said.
