Nearly three decades ago, Anna Nagar, which had emerged as a residential area after the World Trade Fair, was the stronghold of DMK president M. Karunanidhi. And, he won twice consecutively from this constituency. But in 2011, what was known to be the DMK’s fortress was breached by the AIADMK. The party’s S. Gokula Indira swept the polls beating the Congress candidate V.K. Arivazhagan with a margin of over 35,000 votes.
Five years later, 2.8 lakh electors from this constituency are gearing up to vote in this battleground.
One of the primary issues residents want addressed is traffic congestion. Since construction work for Chennai Metro Rail began five years ago, residents have been grappling with traffic diversions and severe congestion during rush hour.
Paul Chellakumar, a resident of Anna Nagar for 33 years now, said he takes a detour every time he has to travel from one location to another in this locality.
“So many diversions have been here for five years now. Most commuters dread travelling in and out of Anna Nagar during rush hour and the weekends. As if this congestion is not enough, vehicles are parked in a haphazard manner outside commercial establishments,” he said, adding that what was once a peaceful residential area had become extremely commercial. Shobha V. Manickam, a 65-year-old resident of Anna Nagar said, “I avoid stepping out much primarily because of this traffic.”
Many residents have pointed out that there has been a dramatic change following the floods in December, especially in terms of water supply. Drinking water supply that was irregular in some pockets has become better. For instance, a resident of 5th cross street in Shenoy Nagar who didn’t wish to be named said he would buy tankers for the apartment thrice a week as the supply was poor.
“But things changed after the floods. We are getting water regularly now,” he added. Similarly, the condition of roads that were pathetic before the floods had changed recently.
Jacob Sumithran, who lives on 4th Main Road, said, “All these years, it would be difficult to travel through these roads. But soon after elections were announced, the condition improved,” he added. Whoever comes to power may want to push for quick completion of Chennai Metro Rail to ease congestion, clear diversion and provide better pavements.
The article has been corrected for a factual error. V.K. Arivazhagan contested in Congress ticket in 2011 and not as a DMK candidate, as mentioned earlier.
