Traffic snarls are common here

Encroachments have eaten into Kaliamman Koil Road at many places

April 10, 2010 02:46 am | Updated 03:26 am IST - CHENNAI

BOTTLENECK: A view of the Kaliamman Koil Street in Virugambakkam. Photo: K. Pichumani

BOTTLENECK: A view of the Kaliamman Koil Street in Virugambakkam. Photo: K. Pichumani

Traffic snarls are a regular feature during rush hour on Kaliamman Koil Road , a crucial link between Arcot Road and Jawaharlal Nehru Road.

The road, nearly 60 feet wide from Jawaharlal Nehru Road to Koyambedu market complex, narrows down to 20 feet at some spots near the Virugambakkam Market. Chennai Corporation officials said that the average road width is 36 feet, but in many places due to encroachments it is much less.

The 2.75-km-long road is lined up with shops, commercial establishments, wedding halls and a Regional Transport Office. With each of these facilities attracting several hundred visitors on many days, the traffic on the road is heavy. Compounding the problem is the haphazard parking of vehicles.

S.Arumainathan, president of Virugambakkam Residents Welfare Association, said traffic went haywire in the mornings as there were 15-20 schools in the surrounding areas and children from residential neighbourhoods take this road.

On Thursdays when the RTO checks vehicles, it was a nightmare. “We have submitted a petition to Mayor M. Subramanian, asking the Corporation to widen the road according to the Second Master Plan. If initiatives are not taken towards this, we will launch an agitation,” he added.

Sharath Chandran, a resident of Natesan Nagar, who until recently used to reside on Kaliamman Koil Road , said that during the muhurtham season, vehicles coming to wedding halls take up much of the space on the road. “Many commercial establishments have encroached on the space that ideally should have pavements for pedestrians''.

Mr. Subramanian said as an immediate measure, encroachments on Kaliamman Koil Road would be removed.

“There is a proposal for widening the road in the Second Master Plan. From Jawaharlal Nehru Road to Koyambedu Market, it will be 90 feet wide and from there to Arcot Road 80 feet. We have to see how much land would have to be acquired and how much has to be spent.”

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.