A section of the newly-laid Lakshmanaswamy Salai has been opened up again, for the purpose of laying utility cables, including those meant for telephone and internet services. Now, with the work under way, bitumen debris has been dumped along the narrow two-way road, and this situation is proving to be a challenge to motorists and pedestrians. The entire digging work is concentrated on the section that is not too far from a school zone. Together with Ramaswamy Salai, Lakshmanaswamy Salai constitutes a route for parents to pick and drop their children at a school in the locality, every day, and the dug-up section now makes for sluggish movement of traffic.
Besides, Lakshmanaswamy Salai is also an important bus route for residents of Nesapakkam, Virugambakkam, Ramapuram, K.K. Nagar, MGR Nagar, Vadapalani and Ashok Nagar.
“School students can get injured even while walking on the newly-laid tiled footpath as many mainly motorcyclists use the footpath to avoid the debris-ridden section of the road,” says B. Ramprakash, a motorist from Ashok Nagar.
More than a year ago, the existing stormwater drains on road, along with those on other key stretches like P.T. Rajan Salai and Ramaswamy Salai, were widened as part of the Corporation’s Integrated Storm Water Drain Project to prevent inundation in the neighbourhood. Due to the stormwater drain work, the width of the stretch had reduced by half, forcing motorists and pedestrians to share the narrow carriageway. A few months ago, the drain work was completed with the civic body re-laying the entire stretch after laying the tiled footpath with boulders.
Now, with the road being opened up again, school vans and buses have to skip the stretch. It is reported that at night, it is common to see motorists hitting the bitumen debris. Residents say that poor planning on the part of the Corporation is the reason that newly-laid road has been opened up again.
“Steps will be taken to relay the stretch soon,” says a Corporation official.
