The residents of Tamizhar Street, Kamala Nehru Nagar or Ethiraj Street living in the vicinity of the Arumbakkam Metro Rail station witness the train zipping past their neighbourhood every day. Despite such close proximity to the station, they have to take a circuitous route to board a train.
These residents have to trek quite a distance to reach the station. This ordeal can end if a pedestrian pathway is built near the Arumbakkam-Virugambakkam canal, they say.
Sudha Ramalingam, an advocate who lives in this area, says encroachments had come up over the years and while one stretch of the canal had walkway on both sides, the other side needs it too. “The distance from these streets to the station may not be more than 200-250 metres but owing to several structures that had been built over the years, the walkway’s length is reduced to just 50 metres . As a result, residents end up walking quite a distance every day. If the Greater Chennai Corporation comes up with a solution for this issue, it would benefit hundreds of residents here,” she says.
Deenadayalan, 73, resident of Tamizhar Street who regularly takes the Metro train, says he spends 15 minutes walking to the station. If such a pathway is available, it may not take more than 5-7 minutes, he added. “Since the number of people travelling by Metro is increasing, they should add facilities like share auto to areas near the station,” he says.
An official of the Corporation said they would look into the issue and consider the possibility of building a walkway.
Published - June 05, 2023 07:14 pm IST
