Citizen connect: Rain or shine, Alapakkam-Mappedu road makes commuting a hardship

But the road has become completely unusable for vehicles as deep potholes and corrosion of the road on its both sides, residents lamented. While the road gets wider after it branches out from Velachery Main Road, it abruptly ends at Mappedu junction after two narrow roads connect Agaramthen on one side and the State Highway 121 near Vandaloor Zoo on the other.

As there are bus services to Agaramthen, the road is relatively better with a tarmac surface. “But the Alapakkam-Mappedu road has been completely ignored,” said Arul Selvam, a techie from the locality. He uses the road to reach the office regularly.

According to him, the plight of the road has been the same since he shifted to the locality a few years ago. “The road has almost become non-existent over time, though the stretch is dotted with a variety of shops on either side. Heavy vehicles carrying sand, cement and other construction materials pass the stretch in a snail pace. During peak hours, school buses make a beeline on the road,” he said.

A shopkeeper in the area said that their agony is persistent irrespective of whether it is rain or shine. “During sunny days, dust would engulf the area as vehicles pass by non-stop. Come the rain, water stagnates in the potholes,” he added.

When contacted, Leema Rose, Block Development Officer for Kattankolathur Panchayat Union, said that there is a confusion which village panchayat the road falls under as it lies in the junction. “I will inspect and see what can be done,” said the BDO.