Chennai: Restoration of footpaths and walkways seems to be a big money minting business for contractors and engineers now. Cozy granite stones, marble structures and aesthetically designed super structures completed with substandard engineering are caving in posing danger to pedestrians.
A visit by this newspaper to check execution of the recent Madras high court order instructing Chennai corporation to ensure a top class foot path, turned into a tale of failed engineering and poor design, where pedestrians posed for our cameras sharing their experience.
The slippery and poorly maintained structures opposite Madras high court and secretariat also lacked maintenance and daily cleaning. The civic body spends close to Rs 20 crore every year on these structures, which according to corporation insiders fail to last two years.
“Arterial NSC Bose Road opposite high court has gone from bad to worse after its renovation pursuant to a recent court order. The pavements are laid with concrete slabs placed on beach sand fillers,” said Sudha Ramalingam, an advocate.
The granites on the median have sharp edges and slippery slopes. The dents near restaurants and eat outs have become waste collecting areas with a foul smell emanating from rubbish strewn around and needs immediate attention, she said.
“The concrete median without adequate pedestrian crossing is a big hurdle and at times it irritates lawyers who rush to get their affidavits and documents photo copied on the opposite side”, rued advocate C. A. Prabhakar.
When contacted, a senior Chennai corporation official said, “Please don’t jump to conclusions stating the work is substandard. It’s a '3.5 crore major beautification project. Work got delayed due to December rain and model code of conduct. By digging the roads, Tamil Nadu electricity board and metro water have made matters worse. In fact, Chennai metro rail construction has added to water logging and we are attending to it, the official said.
The remaining work will begin once the election results are announced and 40 per cent of bill payments to the contractor is put on hold to ensure that quality as laid down by high court is maintained”, the official said.
“Water stagnation is something new near high court premises thanks to recent restoration work. The pending work has made the area messy and difficult for traders and public”, said a mobile shop owner M. Sulaiman on NSC Bose road.
