ECR Chennai: Deathtrap for Pedestrians
Once East Coast Road (ECR) was the pride of Chennai but because of encroachments by builders, unauthorised on-street parking and extensive damage due to water pipeline laying work has made it into a deathtrap for pedestrians.
In the last three years about 60 pedestrians were killed by speeding vehicles as unauthorised construction have shrunk the highway to half its size.
ECR is booming with real estate activity with Tiruvanmiyur, Kottivakkam, Pallavakkam, Neelankarai and Injambakkam villages seeing rapid development. Traffic police have installed automatic signals at five junctions on the four-km stretch. About 8.7 hectares of land were identified for acquisition along both sides of ECR at an estimated cost of 10 crore in 2005. Now the government will have to shell out 350 crore.
Irked by the developments, the Federation of ECR Residents’ Welfare Associations sent representations to the government departments but there has been no response. Except for endorsing the letters and forwarding them to the CMDA and St Thomas Mount panchayat union, the chief minister’s cell kept mum. The Kancheepuram commissioner of police and district collector chose not to respond.
Even the transport department is responsible for the mess. The stretch near the RTO office in Tiruvanmiyur has become unusable due to parking by visitors. “The department should make arrangements for parking and relieve our misery,” said G Karmegam, a resident of Kottivakkam.
Chennai, Deathtrap for pedestrians, East Coast Road, East Coast Road Chennai, ECR Residents' Welfare Associations, ECR Road, Pedestrians, Real estate activity, Residents Welfare Associations, RTO office in Tiruvanmiyur, Speeding vehicles, Transport department, Unauthorised construction
