A drive through Kamarajar Salai at R.A. Puram is a nightmare for commuters

Chaotic stretch: Vehicles parked on the roadside and encroachments cause severe congestion on Kamarajar Salai. It is very difficult for motorists and pedestrians alike to use this road.
| Photo Credit: B. VELANKANNI RAJ

Lack of space to walk, encroachments, and traffic congestion. Owing to all these factors, for hundreds of commuters travelling from R.A. Puram towards Greenways Road, it is a tough task to cross a substantial part of Kamarajar Salai.

A key stretch

Every day, thousands of vehicles pass through Kamarajar Salai at R.A. Puram, one of the key stretches in the city. Commuters from areas including Thiruvanmiyur, Greenways Road, and Adyar take Kamarajar Salai to go to R.A. Puram or Alwarpet. Ganga Sridhar, a resident of R.A. Puram, says, “It is a nightmare when I take my car to cross this road. A considerable part of Kamarajar Salai at R.A. Puram has unauthorised parking of vehicles and encroachments. While it should not take me more than a minute to pass, I remember instances in which it took me 7-8 minutes because of these issues.”

Baskar Seshadri, a social activist residing in Mylapore, says the main problem is the unauthorised parking of vehicles on both sides of the road. This makes it difficult for two-wheelers and four-wheelers to cross this stretch. “Whenever I travel from Greenways Road towards Nandanam or Mandaveli, I take this road, and it is very tough to pass through at peak hours. Since a good part of this road is occupied by shops, the owners and people who visit them park their vehicles on both sides,” he says. At night too, many vehicles remain parked on the road. He says those who live on the by-lanes park their vehicles on the road too.

K.L. Balasubramanian, a resident of R.A. Puram, says that while a considerable part of the road is wide, it begins to get narrow after a point up till the beginning of Greenways Road. “When the road starts to taper, encroachments take over. It is quite dangerous for pedestrians, especially senior citizens, to walk through this stretch. Encroachments are taking up a significant amount of space, causing a lot of inconvenience to pedestrians. Shopkeepers are putting up their articles on the footpath, making it virtually non-existent,” he adds.

Traffic rerouted

Sometime ago, to facilitate the implementation of the Metro Rail project, traffic was rerouted through this road for a few days. Then, much of the encroachments were removed. Commuters say it was very convenient to travel through Kamarajar Salai those few days, and it should be so maintained always.

An official of the Greater Chennai Corporation says, “We are going to join hands with the Greater Chennai Police and remove the encroachments and vehicles parked with authorisation next month.”