For a few months now, a semi-finished concrete footpath greets pedestrians on Wall Tax Road, between Central railway station and a junction at the Elephant Gate police station, a distance of around two kilometres. Reason: the contractor abandoned the project as the price of cement and sand increased.
The incomplete work is hindering free movement of pedestrians and motorists as the footpath occupies a small portion of the road. Rows of granite slabs can be seen on both sides of Wall Tax Road, near the entrance of the Central railway station.
“A portion of the stretch has a new footpath on both sides. But, the rest of the stretch, especially the section near the subway at the Central railway station, no footpath has been laid,” said K. Raja, a resident of Basin Bridge.
ADVERTISEMENT
The four-km-Wall Tax Road connects Poonamallee High (PH) Road with Basin Bridge and is a busy stretch dotted with many government-owned godowns and wholesale establishments. Corporation officials said that homeless people squatting on the pavements were hindering the smooth completion of the work. “We have to clear the area before new granite slabs can be laid . With help from the police, we would commence the work soon,” said a Corporation official.
Originally, Wall Tax Road was a 60-feet stretch but after the construction of a concrete median last month and a footpath, it remains narrow, especially the section from Central railway station to Basin Bridge. “Wall Tax Road is located next to the city’s biggest railway station where the flow of passengers is continuous. Lack of pavements makes it unsafe for us to walk on this road,” said S.Maliga, a resident of Seven Wells.