Restrictions imposed on account of the lockdown have eased. So have factors that were keeping certain old problems in check over the past few months. These issues are back to haunting residents.
Residents of Mogappair complain that illegal parking of mini-vans and other vehicles on the footpaths around Mangal Eri Park, including stretches like Vellalar Street and Ambattur Industrial Estate Main Road, is hindering free movement of pedestrians.
Many senior citizens have resumed their morning walk on these roads, as lockdown restrictions have been relaxed. Prior to the lockdown, residents would go for their morning walk inside the park.
It must be remembered that to prevent people from crowding at parks and playground, these public spaces in the city have been closed since the lockdown first began.
“Footpath is meant for walking, but we were forced to walk on the carriageway as the pavement around the park (Mangal Eri) is occupied,” says 68-year-old V. Rajagopal, president, Anna Nagar Western Extension Phase II Residents Welfare Association.
Movement of vehicles has also increased. The 60-feet Ambattur Industrial Estate Road is the main gateway for more than two dozen streets including Vinakar Koil street, Gandhi street, Ambedkar street and Anna street to reach Anna Nagar, Thirumangalam, Padi, Kolathur and the Poonamallee High (PH) Road via the Ambattur Estate Road. Besides, the stretch also links a number of localities, including Nolambur, Mogappair, Padi, Thirumangalam, with the busy Jawaharlal Nehru (J.N)Main Road.
Another challenge faced by morning-walkers around the park is dumping of garbage. The Material Recovery Facility Centre or the waste collection point, maintained by the Zone-7 (Ambattur) of the Greater Chennai Corporation, collects plastic waste from the neighbourhood before sending it for recycling.
Due to non-availability of garbage lorries, the garbage at the centre gets spilled on to the carriageway.
Residents want the Centre to be relocated.
Corporation officials point out that the lack of open spaces to maintain such a garbage collection centre in the neighbourhood is the reason why it has been set up on the footpath of this busy stretch.
“Steps will be taken soon to relocate the garbage centre and remove illegal parking on the footpath around the Mangal Eri park,” says a Corporation official.
