Chennai: Started in an attempt to make the stretch a ‘model stretch’ with concrete cement roads, granite footpaths, ducts for electricity cables and greenery development in May 2014, Harrington Road continue to be a work in progress. With growing complaints on the delays, work has been intensified and corporation hopes to complete it by August.
The project, estimated at a cost of Rs 9.9 crore, was approved after several meetings, surveys and discussions with local residents in February 2014. “Of course, the local residents were involved before the idea was arrived at and the project began after the consent of the public here. The people are also aware that they would have to go through hardships in using the road, until the work is over. But, we didn’t expect that the work would extend so much,” said A. Ramasubaiah, a resident of the 13th Avenue.
People accepted the project, expecting a permanent solution for parking and pedestrian problem that was unanswered for the past decade due to increasing commercial establishments on the road. “But, the sacrifice we had made for the project was immense and we are yet to see the light,” said a member of the Harrington Road Residents Association.
When officials were contacted, they said, “Stormwater drain was planned at six places across the road and when the road was dug for this purpose, EB and telephone cables were found to be old and this took time by the other government agencies to replace and regularise. Relocation the transformer and BSNL pillars also took more time.”
Though one portion of the road was allowed to use by local residents, most of the nearby roads were made one-way with no entry from the other end of the Harrington Road. Many traffic diversions were made due to the on-going work.
