A few months ago, a pregnant R. Anjana was terrified thinking of getting to a hospital on time should there be a medical emergency.
A resident of Hindu Colony, 1 Main Road, in Ullagaram, Anjana says the road outside her house is practically non existent.
Even a brief spell of rain turns the stretch into a slushy mess. “Three months ago, my husband slipped and fell off his bike. He sprained his leg and has still not recovered completely,” she says.
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The numerous petitions and complaints about the lack of a road, made to the Chennai Corporation and the CM’s cell, have not resulted in a road yet, she says.
Not giving up, Anjana contacted the Corporation’s helpline 1913 again, last Monday. The next day, she received a message: ‘Mr/Ms Anjana (phone number), your complaint on request to relay the road with complaint no. (750PET) is completed’.
“To understand the message, I contacted the zonal officer who, in turn, asked me to call the assistant engineer. The AE said he had surveyed the site and the road would be laid in two months’ time,” she says.
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Anjana carries a bottle of water with her whenever she steps out of her house so she can wash her feet once she reaches Adambakkam, where there are properly-laid roads.
“All we want is for the road to be levelled. Nothing fancy,” says Anjana, who has been a resident of Ullagaram for 27 years now.
“Our area is located between Adambakkam and Madipakkam. Even if the approach road to one of these areas, and to the Puzhuthivakkam bus stand, is improved, it will be a big relief,” she says.
The assistant engineer was unavailable for comment on Tuesday.