Two months ago, the one-kilometre-long Link Road in Poonamallee was widened. With the “rearranged” landscape, 12 Tangedco poles are now found almost in the middle of the road, posing a threat to the safety of motorists, especially at night. These electric poles have to be reinstalled on the median. Though there is an adequate number of street lights, the other safety features such as a concrete median and pedestrian-crossings are in place.“As there isn’t an adequate number of street lights, motorists hardly notice the electric poles in the middle of the road,” says K. Vinoth, a resident of Poonamallee. The road witnesses heavy traffic as there are many manufacturing industries, software parks, residential complexes, commercial establishments, educational institutions and healthcare centres in the vicinity. Besdies, the Link Road is located off the Poonamallee High Road, therefore many use it to access many Porur, St. Thomas Mount and Guindy. Although the road is under the State Highways Department, as per norms, Poonamallee Municipality is supposed to provide the street lights with the support of Tangedco. But Tangedco cites lack of manpower to do the job. Residents say that occurrence of accidents have become frequent on this stretch. “The poles will be erected on the median at the earliest,” says a Tangedco official.
