The bogey of poor illumination haunts residents of Chitlapakkam, where the streets could do better with more lights.
The residents, especially women, feel less safe walking in the neighbourhood, thanks to the poorly-lit streets.
Udhayavani Dayanand, a resident of Pradeep and Karthik Avenue in Thirumagal Nagar, says she is extremely cautious while leaving her home around dusk.
“Our guiding light is the torch in the mobile phones or the headlights of vehicles passing through the street. The roads are not adequately lit and I keep a watch over my shoulder till I reach home. Women in the neighbourhood have to look out for chain snatchers and other anti-socials on the prowl,” she says.
Pradeep and Karthik Avenue, U.V. Swaminathan Street, Sethunarayanan Street, Bharathi Street and many other streets too are totally plunged in darkness.
Chennai: 27-03-2019, For City: No street lights at Bharathi Street, Chitlapakkam near Tambaram Sanatoriyum. Photo: M. Karunakaran
Crime is not the only thing that residents are afraid of. Many streets in Chitlapakkam have unfinished cut-and-cover drains that have been left open for months.
“These drains are dangerous even during the day and the risk doubles at night. The drains have iron rods jutting out of them and with poorly-lit street lights, people could get seriously hurt if an untoward incident happens. It is risky even for motorcyclists,” she adds.
Poor lighting also makes it difficult to spot stray dogs, and there are many of them on the streets of Chitlapakkam.
Chennai: 27-03-2019, For City: Broken street lights at Vaidyalingam Street, Chitlapakkam near Tambaram Sanatoriyum. Photo: M. Karunakaran
“Most of us have stopped our children from going out to play in the late evening hours. Senior citizens in the locality too don’t prefer walking in the dark. We also keep the lights in our compounds burning through the night to keep unwanted elements at bay. A brightly-lit street would definitely reduce the fear and it would make it welcoming for women, senior citizens and children,” says another resident.
The residents have represented the problem to the Chitlapakkam town panchayat officials, specifically asking them to ensure faulty lights are replaced and the new ones maintained well, but their pleas have not had the desired response.
“Every time we complain, the panchayat sends workers to repair the lights but these go out in just a day or two. Half our time is spent on complaint calls. Many lights are hanging from the lamp-posts and we have been asking the panchayat to secure them with angle brackets, but the local body is not even attempting to look for a permanent solution,” the resident adds.
An official from the Chitlapakkam town panchayat says that they have been attending to complaints about non-functional street lights for the past one week and the local body will ensure that all the 18 wards under its jurisdiction will have adequate illumination soon.
