On an unsuspecting night a year ago, two lorries — one of them, an oil tanker, to be precise — “found their way” to the bus terminus on TVS Colony Main Road in Officer's Colony, Mogappair, and they have not budged an inch since then.
It happened after the two MTC bus services that are operated from the terminus had returned to the depot at Anna Nagar West bus terminus. The two lorries, which are defunct, have remained at the terminus since that balmy night, prompting residents to make representations to the civic officials of Zone — 7 (Ambattur ) of the Greater Chennai Corporation, which maintains both the road and the bus terminus.
With frequent missives and visits at the local Corporation office, residents were seeking the removal of the abandoned lorries from the terminus as well as other such vehicles parked stubbornly on both sides of TVS Colony Main Road.
It seemed an exercise in futility until March 9, when traffic police personnel led by Assistant Commissioner of Police (Ambattur range) Jayakar, and residents removed the abandoned vehicles from the road, including the two lorries at the terminus.
Steel barricades were raised on both sides of the road to prevent such vehicles from being parked on the road in the future. The eviction of the abandoned, residents say, was not as sudden as it may seem, but the culmination of year-long efforts to get the authorities, the Corporation and traffic police personnel included, to have this issue addressed.
“We have now requested the Corporation officials to construct a raised footpath on the road to prevent such illegal parking in the future. We also thank the local police who acted swiftly on our plea to remove the abandoned vehicles,” says V. Rajagopal, president, Anna Nagar Western Extension Phase – II Residents Welfare Association.
Residents point out that apart from this issue, residents and the local police have been meeting regularly to discuss how the neighbourhood could be secured against thefts and rapport had been built.
Residents say a sense of urgency had developed around the issue, as the space around these abandoned vehicles had started attracting garbage, and stray dogs that would relish feeding on leftover food in the trash pile.
Residents allege that even MTC reduced its many services as many buses found it difficult to reach the bus terminus on TVS Colony Main Road due to illegal parking.
The 60-feet TVS Colony Main Road, which is around 1.5-kilometre long and connects Ambattur and Tirumangalam, is a key link road in the region, and lined with many commercial buildings including private hospitals, banks and petrol pumps.
Workers from hundreds of industrial units in Pattaravakkam, Korattur and Ambattur use TVS Colony Main Road to reach CMBT, Koyambedu as the stretch is less congested and has wide footpaths, street lights and is bitumen-topped.
