The four Mada Streets of Mylapore are expected to become pedestrian-friendly soon. The special projects department of the Corporation is working on laying pavements on the four streets surrounding the Kapaleeshwarar Temple. Last week, a surveying exercise was carried out, a design was prepared and markings were done on the roads. The officials are waiting for the granite slabs to arrive and a nod from the Assistant Commissioner of Traffic, to begin the work.
The pavements will be similar to the ones being laid on Harrington Road. “It is a model disabled-friendly pavement with a provision for ramps,” says an official from the department.
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The department is planning to clear the encroachments from the road.
The pavements will be 2 to 3 metres wide. “The carriageway available for commuters will be 6 metres on North and South Mada Streets, 7.2 metres on East Mada Street and 12 metres on R.K. Mutt Road. Vendors would be accommodated wherever the pavements are wide,” the official added.
Sridhar Venkataraman, a resident of East Abhiramapuram, says, “A public consultation on the pavement project was held two years ago, but only after the overall design had been prepared. We heard the department is trying to figure out how the project could be implemented with encroachments lining the streets. Even if hawkers are relocated or regulated, I am not sure if measures will be taken to see that they don’t return to occupy the footpaths again.”
Another long-time resident C.S. Baskar says, “No blueprints of the project were shown to residents. Of what we have seen on other areas, these platforms are too big. Mada streets are already narrow, 3 mt pavements will shrink them further. Also unless encroachments are totally removed, we cannot have uninterrupted walking space. The suggestion of regulating hawkers on the pavements won’t work. Hawkers should be relocated to some other space and then the project be taken up.”