Eateries, hawkers remain an eyesore in Pondy Bazaar

Haphazard parking damages the newly laid pavements

Staying put: A make-shift shop set up under the signboard prohibiting the same in T. Nagar.

Roads leading to the pedestrian plaza in Pondy Bazaar on Theagaraya Road were spruced up to be on a par with the plaza. However, work came to a standstill after the announcement of election. The pavements that were laid just a few months ago have been damaged, thanks to indiscriminate parking of cars.

Another sore point are the roadside eateries that have sprung up all along Venkatnarayana Road and the hawkers along the “no hawker zone” on Sivaprakasam Street off Theagaraya Road. Even the larger grocery shops spread their wares on the footpath. On some stretches of Venkatnararyana Road, the entire pavement had been taken over by the eateries pushing pedestrian again to the road.

On Sivaprakasam Street nearly a dozen hawkers do brisk business through the day.

Their business begins as early as 7 in the morning and continues till 10 p.m. Several shops spread their wares on the road leaving little room for pedestrians. By afternoon, dozens of two-wheelers are parked along the compound wall of the Greater Chennai Corporation complex on Sivaparakasam Street and Lakshmikanthan Street.

Complaint on app

A source involved in the Smart Cities project said residents could lodge complaints on the Namma Chennai app.

“Since it is tracked, the officials respond quickly. People can lodge complaint by calling the Chennai Corporation’s helpline 1913,” the source said.

Meanwhile, the police personnel from Soundarapandianar station on Theagaraya Road, who had dumped the confiscated vehicles, have almost cleared the pavement.