Where are my pavements?

 

Rattan Bazaar area in Parry’s corner is a nightmare for pedestrians. Shops dot the roadsides, leaving no space for pedestrians to walk. The adjacent arterial stretch of NSC Bose road is completely occupied by rows of cars and bikes. “On one side, we have the transformers and EB boxes scaring us. On the other side, vehicles speed past. People are made to squeeze through these,” says M. Madanraj, a pedestrian on NSC Bose road.

 

Then there are the slums which occupy the roadsides. “We were enumerated a year ago by the corporation. They took photographs, but did not get back,” says K. Chandrakala who lives in the slum near Rattan Bazaar.

 

“If we are provided alternate places we are ready to move instead of suffering in these huts during rain and shine,” she adds. However, on entering the Rattan Bazaar complex stretch, one can feel the congestion, not only on the pavements but also on the roads as parking overflows onto the roads.

 

 

“No notices have been served on these shops so far. Most of them set up shop by morning and remove them in the evening,” said councillor S. C. Bose. Not only this stretch, almost all parts of the city suffer similar problems. Like the temple situated on the pavements at Power house, Kodambakkam to illegally parked bikes outside restaurants at Ashok Nagar and Guindy, Chennai cries for a massive encroachment drive.

 

In high end areas like the Boat club, pavements are made gardens by residents who have been protesting against the laying of new pavements.

 

Meanwhile, the online encroachment complaint cell has received 27 complaints of which the corporation is yet to attend to any. However corporation sources say that the complaints received through its complaint cell 1913 are regularly attended to.

 

In November, the complaint cell received 62 complaints on pavement encroachments. The corporation claims to have addressed 42 of these complaints so far. “Whenever we get a complaint on encroachments we remove them for the people’s comfort. But there are instances when we have to wait due to court stays and when people resist demolition of structures,” said a corporation official.

 

 

 

Old timers here say that the temple came up several years ago when the road was deserted for the most part and people feared to use it due to a cemetery located nearby. “The Muneeswaran temple was constructed for people to pray and then proceed,” says Amirthavalli Palaniappan, a flower vendor here. “The temple was planned to be demolished when the flyover was planned, but this was not done.”

 

However, Nirmala Periamuthu who walks to Central everyday to catch a bus to her workplace says, “A temple alone does not affect pedestrians; overflowing dustbins on the platform, unnecessary spitting, using roadside walls as urinals, unutilized toilets and broken pavement tiles also prevent people from walking on the stretch.” 

 

The Sri Bodyguard temple is just one among the 252 places of worship that have encroached city roads and pavements. Noted activist Traffic Ramasamy who has obtained data on these encroachments and has been fighting a legal battle says that despite court verdicts, only 52 of the encroachments have been removed so far.

 

“This includes nine mosques and 12 churches. All 200 other encroachments still remain, probably with the blessings of local politicians and civic body officials,” Ramaswamy says.