Barricades, sand dumped on Railway Border Road pose danger to motorists

Unused barricades dumped near Kodambakkam Railway Station on Railway Border Road is posing threats to motorists.

Rajkumar, a resident of Zacharia Colony in Kodambakkam, said, “I was riding a two-wheeler with my wife on Railway Border Road on Thursday. I was going to park next to an auto-rickshaw there when I suddenly noticed the barricades. I managed to swerve and luckily we avoided colliding with the barricades.”

Rajkumar urged the police and Chennai Corporation to remove the barricades from the spot. When DT Next visited the spot, three barricades were found dumped on a pile of M-sand in a haphazard manner.

Shop keepers near the railway station said that the barricades were once used to regulate the vehicles in on the road, but they were not being used any longer. “If the barricades are to be used, they should be kept properly on the roadside,” said a shop keeper, on condition of anonymity.

Meanwhile, a resident pointed out that the civic body had already banned storage of construction materials on roads and pedestrian pavements.

“But still, the M-sand has been lying at this the spot for several weeks. We do not know who dumped the sand on the road. They have high chances of spreading on the road to cause accidents. Chennai Corporation should take measures to remove the sand and the barricades,” theresident added.

Apart from the barricades, Railway Border Road (beneath Rangarajapuram flyover) is rife with irregular speed breakers and potholes.

Rajkumar also requested the civic body to fix the speed breakers as per the usual standards. “Many speed breakers on major roads are better than the ones on Railway Border Road. Officials should follow a uniform standard while laying speed breakers on interior roads too,” he urged.

When contacted, a Chennai Corporation official assured that he would take measures to remove the pile of sand. “Also, we will coordinate with the local police to either remove the barricades or place them properly on the road,” he said.