Citizen connect: Poor maintenance of pavement on Dr Nair Road irks pedestrians, residents demand action

VS Jayaraman of T Nagar Residents’ Welfare Association said that the entire stretch of the pavement is uneven and very difficult to walk on.

“This has been the condition for many months now. We have raised complaints using Namma Chennai mobile application. But without bringing in any improvement, we were told that the problem has been solved,” he said.

He also pointed out that Dr Nair Road is in poor condition even though it is located close to the Pondy Bazaar Pedestrian Plaza, which was created under the Smart City Mission.

Another issue that the T Nagar residents point out is the height of the pedestrian pavement at the plaza. “The platform has been built so high that shops are flooded when it rains. There are two PDS shops at the far end at the junction of Dr Nair Road. The entire stock there will be damaged during the rainy season,” he added. When DT Next visited the place, the footpath was found damaged around manholes of storm water drains, which wouldhinder pedestrians.

A pedestrian who was seen walking on the road said that he could not use the pavement fearing injuries. “It has become safer to walk on the road rather than walking on the footpath. Stones are damaged at several spots and one has to be more careful while walking,” he added. At some spots, the pavement has holes that can cause injuries to those using it. Stones around trees are also damaged.

S Nagaraj, another pedestrian, pointed out that the footpaths on either the side of the road were wide enough, but laid waste by the apathy of Chennai Corporation officials.

“If the civic body had created a quality footpath, it would not have been damaged. The poor quality of work raises suspicion of misconduct,” said another resident, on the condition of anonymity. When asked, a Chennai Corporation official said that the complaints regarding the footpath were received and assured action to repair the footpath.