Non-functional escalators in Tambaram becomes den for anti-social elements

CHENNAI: The non-functional escalators in Chromepet, Tambaram, and Sanatorium near the National Highway have become a persistent headache for commuters.

The escalators stopped functioning many months ago and it has now become a den for the anti-social elements as the escalators have become a convenient space to consume liquor every night and empty liquor bottles can be spotted on the escalators every day.

The highways department constructed the foot-over bridges with escalators for the commuters in Tambaram, Tambaram Sanatorium, and Chromepet.

These three escalators are located in prominent junctions and have been used by thousands of people who use the foot-over bridge every day. The escalators were helpful to the people who visited the Chromepet GH and Sanatorium hospital. As the escalators have become dysfunctional, people cross the National Highway, risking their lives.

The commuters said in Tambaram whenever the complaint was raised the officials would temporarily rectify the fault but within the next couple of days, the escalator would stop functioning again.

In Sanatorium, over 50,000 people use the foot-over bridge every day to commute to the Madras Export Processing Zone (MEPZ), Siddha Hospital, Tambaram GH, and Tambaram Court. However, the escalators on both sides of the foot-over bridge remained closed for more than a month. Though the footfall is high the officers have not repaired the escalator. The elderly people comparatively suffer more as they have no other option but to climb the stairs or cross the GST Road in a risky manner.

Though Chromepet is known as a commercial hub, the condition of the escalators is bad. Social activist V Santhanam from Chromepet said that he filed an RTI to know about the status of the escalators. Even after RTI filing, the problem persists.

Meanwhile, the highway department had stated that the repair work is delayed as some spare parts for escalators are not readily available and a tender has been floated for the repair work.

The activist alleged that the officials are inefficient and are not looking at this issue seriously. He added that the MLA and MP of the constituency should step in for a permanent solution.

An official from the highways department said that the escalators maintenance work is being carried out by a private firm and we have asked them to look into the issue and resolve the problems soon.