The Teynampet Zone of the Greater Chennai Corporation may be home to the poshest areas and powerful politicians. Yet, the residents and commuters suffer as many localities face several problems ranging from waterlogging to bad roads.
While parts of upscale neighbourhoods such as Poes Garden, R.A. Puram and Alwarpet witness waterlogging during monsoon, lower-income residential areas such as Visalakshi Thottam, Pushpa Nagar, parts of Royapettah, Thousand Lights and Choolaimedu continue to struggle with inadequate basic amenities. Vedha Krishnan, 68-year-old resident of Subbarayan Salai in Mylapore, says she is tired of seeing politicians making empty promises for years. “The road condition is poor and even for small showers, we have waterlogging for days. The government has to remove the biometric system for providing ration. Today, I went to the shop and returned home empty handed as the system failed to recognise my thumb impression,” she said in frustration. The nearby Visalakshi Thottam not only faces waterlogging but a perennial sewage issue as well which gets worse during the monsoon, says Gunamani R., a resident of the area. Motorists say their commute is ruined when they have to travel through parts of St. Mary’s Road, Alamelumangapuram, Devanathan Street, bylanes of Thousand Lights and Choolaimedu as the roads dotted with potholes. Traffic congestion during peak hours too has been a perennial problem.
Encroachments and parking of vehicles on pavements make it unsafe for pedestrians at the Luz Church juntion near Nageshwara Rao Park. | Photo Credit: M. KARUNAKARAN
Vivek N, a resident of Mandaveli, says, “Slow-moving traffic at Mylapore junction, from Royapettah to Luz Church Road, has made travel exhausting. Also, there are barely any good pavements in Mylapore junction that has so many senior citizens walking to the temples or shops. There are several encroachments which need to be cleared to help commuters have good access” Madhan Mohan S., DMK candidate in Ward 114, said Krishnappan, Oviyam and Arunachalam Streets have to be relaid and admits that drains in some parts are in bad shape and the old pipes have to be changed.
Noor Jahan, a two-time councillor who is the AIADMK candidate in Ward 124, says, “Priority will be for relaying roads as many residents have flagged this issue.”
T. Rajasekar, BJP candidate in Ward 110, says his focus will be to provide better access to clean drinking water and better housing.
