The 200-metre-long Puliyur First Lane in Trustpuram, Kodambakkam, has been left untouched by the Greater Chennai Corporation’s crackdown on abandoned vehicles, which is a month old. And this is surprising, for both sides of the 30-feet-wide-Puliyur First Lane are lined with abandoned vehicles, some of them rusting away for years now. “A few vehicles belonging to a mechanic workshop have been parked permanently on the stretch, a factor encouraging others to do the same. We walk closely along the parked vehicles to avoid getting hit by motorists,” says K. Gayathri, a resident of Kodambakkam. There are eight streets leading off Puliyur Main Road. Of the eight streets, Puliyur First Lane alone faces this problem. Besides derelict abandoned vehicles, machines in running order are also parked by residents of apartment complexes in the locality as these facilities lack sufficient parking. Moreover, the lane is a busy stretch with a few shops and banks and it connects the adjoining neighbourhoods including Choolaimedu and MMDA Colony with the Kodambakkam flyover. Repeated complaints by the residents to Zone – 9 (Kodambakkam) officials of Greater Chennai Corporation to remove these abandoned vehicles have gone in vain. “Steps will be taken soon to have these vehicles removed,” says a Corporation official.

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