The tardy pace of stormwater drain-widening work on Dr. Besant Road is testing the patience of motorists as they find themselves having to squeeze through a narrow stretch. Doing so puts not only their lives at risk, but also those of pedestrians.
The work between Ice House junction and Royapettah Government General Hospital, a distance of less than one kilometre, started many weeks ago. So far, only around 30% of the total distance has been completed, which is mainly due to delay in demolition of encroachments and clearing unauthorised parking along the stretch.
A temporary steel median, which was installed last year to prevent accidents and rash driving, was removed to provide more space for motorists and walkers, and also to facilitate the drain work. But, this has only made the stretch more risky.
Motorists, especially two-wheelers, violate traffic rules including driving on the wrong side of the narrow pathway. “Pedestrians including school children have to negotiate through the parked vehicles on the narrow stretch. Traffic is also not regularised, increasing the risk,” said K. Sukumar, a motorist from Royapettah.
Hundreds of motorists from Mylapore, Mandaveli, Luz Corner and R.A. Puram use the stretch to reach key areas including Thousand lights, Royapettah, Anna Salai, Nungambakkam, Ice House, Triplicane and Egmore. The 40-feet-road also connects the neighbourhood of Royapettah with Mylapore. Movement of people including pedestrians and cyclists are non-stop on this area because of the location of schools and religious places of worship.
Earlier, the presence of the Ice House police station at the junction acted as a deterrent against traffic violations. The Ice House junction and Dr. Besant Road had police personnel from the law and order wing frequenting the place. The junction and the stretches including Dr. Besant Road were safe not only from traffic violations but also petty crimes. “Due to the long festival holidays and continuous flow of traffic on the stretch, the drain work is being delayed. Efforts will be taken to speed up the work,” said a Corporation official.
