While there has been much talk in recent days about the city beautification initiatives, public space beneath many road overbridges in Tiruchi continue to present a picture of squalor and neglect. Public space beneath the Palakkarai and Thennur road over bridges (ROBs), in particular, are turning into convenient dumping grounds for building debris and garbage.
Although the then civic administrators had announced that the open space beneath the bridges (when they were declared open for traffic) would be put to good use, for creating a parking lot or public parks, years have passed by without any initiative in this direction.
The entire space along the bridges on the Thennur High Road, the Heber Road, and the Madurai High Road have now turned shelters for encroachers for varied purposes and for shopkeepers and residents to dump their garbage. Truck and goods van operators also find it a convenient place to park their vehicles. At a few places, the open space with the pillars at regular intervals make for work sheds for a few artisans eking out a living from bamboo products.
Though the city corporation has put up notices prohibiting dumping of garbage or debris beneath the Palakkarai ROB , the warnings have hardly had any impact. “With several construction projects going on in the vicinity along the Heber Road, the debris of demolished buildings are regularly being dumped under the bridge,” says R.Gopal, a resident of Bheema Nagar.
Open spaces beneath the bridge around the Ramakrishna Theatre corner near Thennur has been converted into an open garbage dump and urinal.
The dingy corners beneath the bridges, especially near the Thennur and Palakkarai railway crossings, have also become the refuge of anti-socials, complain residents. Residents also point out though the bridges have been provided with streetlights, the space beneath are unlit, adding to the insecurity of the residents.
Sakunthala Srinivasan, a resident of Anna Nagar, and president, Tiruchi Payaneetalar Iyakkam, has long been complaining about the insecure situation and frequent incidents of chain snatching beneath the bridge at Thennur.
Over the years, the Payaneetalar Iyakkam has been seeking permission from the corporation for creating and maintaining a park beneath the Thennur ROB. But the civic authorities are yet to arrive at a decision on the organisation’s offer.
