Chennai residents have to wait for one more year for Alandur subway

Chennai: The nine-year-old pedestrian subway project at Alandur here is likely to be delayed further, thanks to lack of coordination between Southern Railway and Greater Chennai Corporation.

With officials from four departments inspecting the halted pedestrian subway at Alandur recently, residents are pinning their hopes on the project’s completion as the move would bring down unmanned level-crossing deaths.

After talking to officials of railways and corporation, it was found that the project will take at least an year to get operational. The project near AJS Nidhi school at Alandur was initially coordinated between  corporation and railways; but is now extended to TNEB and Chennai metro water due to the presence of service lines.

“We can resume work only after the sewer lines at the spot are diverted,” said a railway official. However, a highly placed corporation official told DC they had instructed metro water to produce the estimate in shifting the 20-feet-sewer line here.

The proposal initiated in 2007 witnessed roadblocks, including delay in ob-taining contractors and lack of coordination between two government bodies.
“Being the nodal agency, corporation initially deposited an estimated Rs 2.4 crore with railways three years back. The tender, however, couldn’t be finalised due to technical reasons,” said a railway source.

The subway is required in view of schools and market at Alandur. With the level- crossing gate shut down, over 2,000 students studying at Alandur take a circuitous route via Karuneegar Street to reach Adambakkam.

“It is also a struggle for Adambakkam residents who rely on Alandur market,” said S. Dayalan, a resident. Secretary of Shanthi Nagar Welfare Association N.Rajesh said death on railway tracks has been increasing due to unauthorised crossing of lines.