Lack of a designated market is causing inconvenience not just to residents of Ward 30 at New Washermanpet, but also to thousands of motorists who take the arterial Tiruvottiyur High Road.
The road is a vital link for residents of north Chennai to reach the rest of the city, but negotiating the stretch around Lakshmi Koil bus stop is an ordeal.
Over 300 families are dependant on the market, functioning on the margins of the road for over a century. “I have been selling vegetables since I was a child. My parents too were vegetable vendors from the same spot,” says Padma Muthu, who is in her 70s.
There has been no attempt by the government to create a market for vendors like her. A private market that is operational now has not enough space to accommodate all shops. The vendors squat on the margins of one side of the road, while the opposite side is taken over by vehicles of shoppers.
In the event of a procession or a small skirmish on the road, the worst affected are people travelling by Metropolitan Transport Corporation buses from pockets beyond Tiruvottiyur and those originating from the Tollgate terminus.
Residents of the ward say there has been a visible improvement in the quality of amenities, be it water or power supply, that was very poor until a few years ago.
Their major demand is for a regulated market. Another demand put forth by many like C. Kanniappan is the need for better housing facilities to fishermen families who reside in large numbers in the ward.
Corporation officials admit that the only issue that could not be solved in the ward is the market on Tiruvottiyur High Road.
AIADMK Councillor Sasikala Nagalingam says the Corporation has improved facilities in the ward compared to what it was five years ago. The improvement of Ennore High Road has given the area a much-needed facelift and the creation of service lanes has improved road safety.
