Neelankarai signal remains out of order

Chennai: The dysfunctional traffic signal at Neelankarai connecting three roads along the East Coast Road (ECR) has put more than 5,000 motorists who use the path daily into hardship.

The signal, which has not been functioning for more than five months, also leads to traffic snarls in peak hours, they rue.

“Accidents have become a common sight as motorists often lose control with vehicles zipping past from all the sides,” said a motorist, Anto Arshath.

 Also, as one of the roads lead to Neelankarai beach, the traffic increases considerably in the evening hours, and so do the accidents. Pedestrians complained that crossing the road has become a nightmare with no markings and zooming vehicles.

When contacted, a traffic official in the area said, “The electric board which is connected to signal should be swapped as it became obsolete. We have informed about this to the control room in Egmore, but they stated shortage of staff to be the reason for the delay.”

He further added that an official visited and inspected the signal three months ago, but nothing has been done later.

It may be noted that traffic signals at several interactions on ECR that have turned dysfunctional have been renovated recently. But Neelankarai seems to have been given a raw deal.