The SDAT Tennis Stadium in Nungambakkam is all set to host the Chennai Open, a landmark tennis tournament in the city that draws many international players. While tennis fans look forward to the event, which kicks off on December 28, residents of Lake Area shudder at the thought of vehicles that will enter their neighbourhood during the tournament, especially because the roads there are dug up. Residents of Lake Area Main Road are the most worried as their stretch leads to the stadium.
“The event is likely to draw a heavy crowd but the roads in the Lake Area are dug up for almost six months and only one side of it can be used. Having been left like this for months, people use the space to dispose of garbage. When the traffic flow increases during the tournament, it will be the residents who will suffer. Lake Area Main Road, which borders the rear portion of Valluvarkottam, is a residential area and has many schools and is quite crowded. Every year, a patch-up work of the road is undertaken, but it soon goes back to how it was before the exercise. What the area needs is a permanent solution,” says N.S. Swaminathan, advisor of Lake Area Residents Association (LARA). He adds that the association has taken the matter to the authorities and hope action will be taken before the tournament begins.
Residents say Lake Area was once an ideal residential locality but has over the years lost the status. Another issue faced by the residents is traffic blockage during dharnas and political meets.
“These events are organised near the entrance of the Lake Area Main road, affecting the entire stretch. They block the sixth and the seventh street. There has been an incidence of help of the police being sought because someone needed medical attention. We met the former Commissioner of Police regarding this issue. He assured us to look into the matter, but nothing has changed,” says Shyam Sekhar, president of the Association.
The increasing number of eateries on the pavement is another issue the Association has been fighting against. “The pavement is for the school children and pedestrians but they have been encroached upon by various road-side eateries. What makes it worse is the presence of a TASMAC outlet close by and visitors openly consuming liquor on the pavement when they come to eat. They are a major threat to the women and children,” says Shyam, who says that there have been instances when prompt action had been taken by authorities.
The sixth street of Lake Area that had knee-deep water was cleared within a day after the residents complained. “I had voiced my concern to the authority and also posted a picture of the water-logged road on the Facebook page of the Chennai Corporation and action was taken immediately,” says Swaminathan.
The area has many schools, a tourist spots such as Valluvarkottam, a tennis stadium and a cinema hall. It is an important part of the city, therefore deserves more attention, the residents say.
