‘Streets for people’ being planned at Mylapore

According to a Corporation source, the streets would be improved under the ‘streets for people’ initiative recently launched by the Union Urban & Housing Development Ministry. “Presently, none of the four Mada Streets -- North, South, East and West -- are pedestrian-friendly due to pavement encroachment and illegal parking. The plan is to free the streets from obstructions and ensure pedestrian safety,” he said.

However, the proposal is still in nascent stages, and the civic body is looking at stretches before finalising, he added.

The Corporation has decided to take up the ‘streets for people’ initiative on one of the roads as pilot. “If the Mada Streets selected for redevelopment, they will become models for other streets where we can create facilities based on the feedback,” the source said.

The facilities planned under the initiative is different from the pedestrian plaza project, as the latter focuses more on ensuring safe pedestrian zone and creating a recreational spot.

The civic body had finalised plans to create the city’s second pedestrian plaza on Khader Nawaz Khan Road in Nungambakkam. “Under the Mega Street Project, one road in each of the areas such as Anna Nagar, Mylapore, Velachery, Adyar, Tondiarpet, George Town and Tiruvottiyur will be converted into pedestrian plazas. The Khader Nawaz Khan Road proposal is finalised, while one road in Tiruvottiyur is almost finalised,” an official said.