A street invaded by vehicles

  • | Friday | 21st April, 2017

On this street off Avvai Shanmugam Salai (also known as Lloyds Road), many vehicles can be found parked most times of the day. We cleared the stormwater drains on the first lane before cyclone Vardah and I will ensure it is cleaned regularly,” he says. “Unauthorised parking of vehicles, sometimes on all the three lanes in the locality, was what essentially brought us together. Many find the lane a safe place to park their vehicles as it is a dead end. ‘Desilt SWDs’As stormwater drains are not periodically de-silted, there is water-logging even after a light shower, complain residents.

At Avvai Shanmugam First Lane in Royapettah, residents walk — not by choice though. On this street off Avvai Shanmugam Salai (also known as Lloyds Road), many vehicles can be found parked most times of the day. Many of the vehicles belong to visitors to the AIADMK’s party office. Driving down the road is impossible as the stretch is blocked by the police when a party meeting is on. Vendors of flowers, fruits and other items encroach upon the pavements. Many find the lane a safe place to park their vehicles as it is a dead end. Over 200 residents formed the Lloyds Road Association five years ago to tackle this and a few other problems plaguing the locality. Now, in these tech-driven times, they stay connected through a Whatsapp group. Although aware that they are fighting a losing battle (when it comes to the parking issue), residents don’t want to give up. “Unauthorised parking of vehicles, sometimes on all the three lanes in the locality, was what essentially brought us together. During party meetings, the situation gets completely out of hand. It’s difficult to step onto the street. Sometimes, vehicles are parked right outside our gates. A few months ago, an elderly person could not recieve timely medical attention because the ambulance could not enter the lane,” says Uma Maheshwari, a member of the Association. On working days, it’s impossible for school vans to enter the road. Children are dropped at the main road. “Many a time, we have complained to the traffic police about this issue. During party meetings, police instal barricades to control vehicular movement, but that hardly helps,” says Brinda Sekhar, a resident. ‘Desilt SWDs’ As stormwater drains are not periodically de-silted, there is water-logging even after a light shower, complain residents. “When Royapettah High Road and Gowdia Mutt Road are re-laid from time to time, the height of these roads keeps increasing. As Avvai Shanmugam 1st lane is the lowest of the three lanes found in the locality, water from the main road gets collected here and doesn’t drain properly due to clogged up stormwater drains ,” says Meena RK, a resident. Assistant Engineer of Ward 119 says he is unaware of such complaints. “I need to check how much has been allocated for repairing the broken pavements. First, I will pay the street a visit to find out what the actual problem is. We cleared the stormwater drains on the first lane before cyclone Vardah and I will ensure it is cleaned regularly,” he says.

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