For a few years now, a small portion on the Sixth Avenue Road in Anna Nagar has not been laid by the Chennai Corporation, despite residents drawing attention to it on various occasions.
They want the civic body to ensure the incomplete portion of the stretch is laid soon. According to a Corporation official, the incomplete stretch is not part of the residential area and a portion of the space is the subject of a dispute with a local organisation. As a result, the civic body is unable to lay the stretch with bitumen. “There is a dispute on the land in the incomplete portion of the stretch. Without sorting out the issue, it is difficult to lay the stretch,” said a corporation official.
With one-way traffic changes having been effected on many arterial roads, including 18 and 13 Main Roads and Second Avenue Road, in Anna Nagar, street lanes like the Sixth Avenue road are widely used by motorists. In fact, hundreds of motorists from Ambattur Industrial Estate, Red Hills and Padi travel on Eighteenth Main Road and Sixth Avenue Road to reach Anna Arch, Chintamani, Kilpauk and Poonamellee High (PH) Road.
The traffic has increased manifold after the diversion, but the condition of the road remains bad.
The significance of the small un-laid stretch on Sixth Avenue Road lies in the fact that it connects First Avenue and Anna Nagar Western Extension linking the 100-Feet Jawaharlal Nehru (JN) Main Road near Anna Nagar West Bus Depot. It is also part of a short route for motorists from ICF, Ayanavaram, Perambur, Villivakkam to reach Aminjikarai and Anna Arch.
It is almost a straight road, but for a small patch, around 200 feet in distance, near Thangam Colony, where the road passes through a narrow stretch with two hairpin bends. “Despite being a sandy stretch, Sixth Avenue Road, including the incomplete stretch, has been used by hundreds of motorists daily. However, the sandy stretch has not been laid by the civic agency,” said G. Prabhakaran, a resident of Sixth Avenue.
During monsoon or even after slight showers, the sandy stretch turns slippery and slushy and motorists and pedestrians hurt themselves due to falls.
Daily walkers, who are mostly senior citizens, have to skip the stretch especially during rainy days. “We would solve the issue with the locals and re-lay the incomplete portion soon,” said a Corporation official.
