Beware! Causeways can be death traps

Chennai: Samuel's heart was pounding as he walked through a deserted street at night with a constant fear that he would meet his death anytime. Before he knew what happened, he tripped and fell into something too deep. All he could hear was people yelling before his heartbeat stopped.

What looks more like a horror film plot is what happens in Chennai everyday when people walk through the risky causeways. Battered paths with protruding wires accompanied with poor illumination have become a nightmare for the pedestrians.

The accidental death of a senior journalist who fell into Adyar river at Ekkattuthangal has rung alarm bells on the need to raise voice against poor safety measures for the pedestrians. Residents say numerous accidents have taken place in the area since the last decade and hand railings were last laid in 2015 damaged within three months.

"From Aladanur where Adyar river starts to Guduvancherry, water canals meet the road at various intersections, mainly at the turnings. Many motorists and pedestrians have fallen into the river and none of the cases has been reported. Absence of street lights adds to the woes," rues Balamurugan, a regular commuter.

He added that the entire stretch of MRTS station stretch from Thiruvanmiyur to Chepauk over the Buckingham Canal has poor safety measures. As slums exist beside the canals, causeways are built but the mandatory fence is missing.

The causeway on 200 feet road, Thoraipakkam, is also in a similar condition. The water body flowing below is also too deep that it is almost impossible to rescue in case of a fall.

"The road below Jaffarkhanpet bridge near Ashok Nagar has a causeway that serves no purpose to the pedestrians. They are forced to walk on road to avoid the death trap," said Praveen Kumar.

Even the plight of causeway from Kelambakkam bus stand to Kovalam beach is alike with no parapet wall. Numerous inhabitants from Madipakkam, Kotturpuram, Porur and many other places complain of the same problem.

When contacted, a highways department official said the causeway in Ekkattuthangal would soon be demolished as it is obstructing the water flow.
"The metro water pipelines will also be shifted after which the problem of causeways at other places would be looked into," he said, in a vague reply.