It has been more than a month since the old and dilapidated causeway in Ekkatuthangal was demolished. But the stretch is still risky for motorists as the bunds on both sides of the Adyar river do not have any safety features such as sidewalls, reflectors, warning boards, barricades and lighting.
The Water Resources Department of the Public Works Department carried out the demolition to widen the river to its original width of 110 metres and prevent flooding in areas such as Jaffarkhanpet, Indira Nagar, Ekattuthangal and Defence Colony, situated close to the waterway.
A lot of construction debris has been dumped on a portion of the bund after the demolition drive. Already, the place is being misused to dump garbage and meat waste, thanks to poor surveillance by the police and civic body.
Even water hyacinth has not been cleared from the river. Instead, nets have been placed across the river to prevent the weed from spreading. A lone sodium vapour lamp serves as the guiding light for motorists to take U turns. The rest of the lamps have not been functional for several days.
“We are unable to drive safely along the bunds due to the darkness and the foul smell from the garbage. Besides, there are people loitering around in the late evening hours,” says K. Singaram, a resident of Ashok Nagar.
It may be noted that the demolition was delayed by many years due to objection from the State Highways which contended that the causeway helped ease traffic on the busy Jawaharlal Nehru Road.
An official from PWD says safety features will be introduced along the bunds soon.
