Citizen Connect: Pedestrians fear for safety as anti-social elements take over Tambaram subway

Naveen Kumar from Tambaram, a commuter, said that the pedestrian subway made travel between East and West Tambaram easy as it cuts down the travel time as there is no need to use the railway foot overbridge and get stuck in the crowd there. But the presence of anti-social elements in the subway for the past one month has been dettering the public from using it.

The subway was constructed and inaugurated in February 2019 at a cost of Rs 3.6 core and the public were elated. Before the subway was opened, residents of Tambaram said, they had to use the flyover of the railway foot overbridge. They were forced to avoid the FOB as it would be crowded during peak hours.

West Tambaram is a commercial hub and it has many educational institutions and residential areas. The subway was very helpful for the residents and commuters until anti-social elements took over the place.

When DT Next visited the place, empty liquor bottles were found and the subway wore a deserted look. The lights inside the subway were also broken and it remains dark even during the day. While women are completely avoiding the subway, very few men dare to walk through it. Residents said no one can even see the subway after nighfall as it is completely dark.

The residents and commuters reccommended fixing CCTV inside the subway to increase the seurity inside it and to keep away anti-social elements.

When contacted, Tambaram Station Master Srinivasan said, “After the subway was opened, we have replaced the lights three times. But it is being damaged puposfully. We will approach higher officials with the need to fix CCTV camers in the area. We will also seek help from the police and municipality to maintain the subway.