Citizen Connect: Encroachment, sewer leaks irk pedestrians in Nungambakkam

CHENNAI: The footpath in front of the Nungambakkam police quarters has been so much encroached upon by Tangedco and individuals that you won’t be able to locate the pavement at all.

On the one hand, Tangedco’s transformer and Ring Main Unit occupy much of the platform while encroachments take care of the remaining. Pedestrians are forced to risk crossing the stretch travelling alongside motorists. Sewer overflowing on the road makes their predicament worse. Especially the Valluvar Kottam High Road, one of the busiest roads in the city, is becoming narrow day by day and platforms are made unusable for pedestrians, lament residents.

Denizens complain that even if they raise an issue, no action is taken on the encroachment of pavement-which has become a common issue in the city. “There is no space at all to walk. The road is also too narrow making it a difficult task to cross, which is made worse by overflowing sewer from households” said Mohammed Kiyas, a seller nearby. Besides encroachment of the platform, the corporation dustbins are also kept on the road near the pavement, residents lament.

When DT Next contacted the concerned ward 110 councillor N Chitrarasu, he clarified that sewer overflow is from the temple land behind the pavement. He added that a proposal to build permanent houses to move the platform dwellers has already been made. The councillor added that there are certain issues with installing Ring Main Units and transformers. The rule stipulates that it should be installed only in front of the houses where the people do not have objection but getting permission from the public is hard to find in most parts of the city, he said.