Date:30/08/2006 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2006/08/30/stories/2006083020680300.htm

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Fate of flyover on Chakrapani Road seems to hang in balance

R. Srikanth

Land acquisition problem throws a spanner in the works, inconveniencing residents

HOPES DASHED TO THE GROUND: The incomplete flyover on Chakrapani Road... virtually unmotorable. — PHOTO: D. Gopalakrishnan

CHENNAI : When the construction of flyover on the Chakrapani Road started in mid-2004, residents were surprised at the pace of the activity and hoped that the work would be completed on time. But, unfortunately the construction has been stopped owing to land acquisition problems and now its fate seems to hang in the balance.

S. Ayyadurai, president, K.V. Apartments Residents' Welfare Association, says that the delay in the construction of the flyover causes a lot of hardship to the residents. At present, the condition of the Chakrapani Road is virtually unmotorable with construction debris dumped all over the road.

G.V. Neelakantan, a resident, says senior citizens find it difficult to move out of the apartment owing to lack of streetlights, stray dog menace and a badly damaged road. He wants the civic agency to re-lay the road to provide relief to the people.

Dustbowl

The association has not been able to undertake refurbishment of the apartments as the area has turned a dustbowl now while during rainy season the apartments get flooded, Mr. Ayyadurai says.

A proposal to construct an overbridge replacing the level-crossing at Guindy is long pending.

The lack of overbridge between the Guindy railway station and the St. Thomas Mount station leads to piling of vehicles at the level-crossing on Chakrapani Road. This, in turn, creates a bottleneck for vehicles plying towards Adambakkam and Nanganallur.

Though a major part of the construction work on Chakrapani Road along with the railway work has been completed, work on construction of the flyover is yet to start on M.K.N. Road.

The inordinate delay in the completion of the project has also meant more travelling for the people here.

Vehicles bound for Adambakkam are forced to take the congested and narrow Vandikaran Street and Pillayar Koil Street. An official of the State Highways Department admits the delay in the construction of the over-bridge, which was started in August 2004. He says that as the flyover falls under the jurisdiction of two district Collectorates (Chennai and Kancheepuram), there are hurdles in land acquisition. But, he is optimistic that in a month's time the construction will resume.