Over a fortnight ago, a portion of a sidewall on a small bridge across river Cooum in Chinmaya Nagar crashed. At the time of this article going to print, there was little sign that the damaged sidewall would be rebuilt anytime soon.
This bridge, which is on Krishna Street in Chinmaya Nagar, Saligramam, is maintained by the Greater Chennai Corporation. It comes under Ward 127 in Zone – 10 (Kodambakkam) of the civic body. Residents point out that by leaving this sidewall unattended, the safety of motorists is being compromised. At the least, the civic body could have erected a fencing along the damaged portion to prevent motorists and walkers from slipping into the river, especially at night.
“A good number of schoolchildren use the bridge to reach their educational institutions. Now, with the collapse of a sidewall, many students peep into the running river from the bridge, and this is a safety risk,” says K. Saraswathi, a resident of Chinmaya Nagar.
Residents say the bridge, built over a decade ago, is suffering from the effects of weathering and poor maintenance. One side of the damaged sidewall had not been plastered completely, and this is likely to be the major reason for the damage. The bridge is located on key road that provides access to many busy adjoining localities. Besides, many residents of Dasarathapuram, Saligramam, Vadapalani, Kumaran Colony, Periyar Pathai, Nesapakkam, Virugambakkam and K.K. Nagar use the bridge to go to the Koyambedu Wholesale Market, especially during weekends to buy vegetables, fruits and flowers on the cheap. Residents say that as it is narrow, the bridge does not have a footpath.
As a result, vehicles, including mini lorries, try to make use of the entire width of the bridge to cross the river.
Making matters worse for pedestrians, two large garbage plastic bins were kept on one side of the bridge (in the Koyambedu direction), when this writer last visited it. The damaged sidewall is on the side where the pedestrian and vehicular traffic is towards Vadapalani.
Due to the foul smell emanating from the the overflowing garbage bins, pedestrians tend to walk along the damaged portion.
“Steps will be taken to erect steel fencing on the damaged portion of the sidewall of the bridge before it is rebuilt. And the reconstruction work will take place soon," says a Corporation official.
