Two foot overbridges, one at Chromepet railway station and the other near the station on Grand Southern Trunk Road, are out of bounds for commuters, thanks to vendors and youngsters frittering away their time on the station premises.
Commuters have appealed to the Southern Railway and the State Highways Department to issue advisory bulletins, through speakers, asking them not to block the way on the two foot overbridges.
In May 2014, State Highways constructed a foot overbridge with escalators, connecting eastern and western sides of GST Road. After completion, it was connected with the exiting railway foot overbridge at Chromepet railway station, to help commuters reach both eastern and western parts of Chromepet.
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The foot overbridge on the station premises provides easy access to Radha Nagar, Rajendra Prasad Road, Nehru Nagar and Chitlapakkam Main Road.
S. Vijay, a resident of Nehru Nagar, says, “Commuters find it difficult to get to the station.
Earlier, the State Highways Department staff used to issue advisory bulletins, through speakers, after monitoring the footage of CCTV cameras and request the members of the public not to stand on the walkway. However, the practice is not in vogue now.”
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“The staircases and the carriageway of the foot overbridges are occupied by beggars, tipplers and stray dogs,” says V. Srimathy, a resident of Chromepet. V. Santhanam, president, The New Colony Residents’ Welfare Society, says, “The Southern Railway should form a committee of volunteers comprising members from traffic and transportation forums and social activists. These volunteers must be deployed at the foot overbridges to help commuters move freely without any hindrance.”