Finally, those taking the Poonamallee High Road between Koyambedu and Vanagaram can heave a sigh of relief as the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has taken up the work to re-lay the road surface at a cost of ₹5.14 crore.
It had been a long-pending demand of the road users. “I avoid taking this portion of the road since all it has is only potholes and craters. Driving on the stretch is dangerous since you don’t know what will come next. And the road has a lot of pedestrian traffic,” said K. Sankar, an autorickshaw driver.
Ebenezer, a resident of Vanagaram, said the condition of the road has been poor and protests and representations by residents had not had any effect. "Someone said the contractor did not have enough funds for proper re-laying of the road. In such cases, the need of the road users should be paramount and work must be taken up by the NHAI. Travelling time of over an hour is just too much for a 5-km stretch. It only adds to our stress levels," he said.
Mr. Ebenezer said that barricades placed along the median during peak hours by the police were not removed causing accidents at other times. The illumination on the stretch needs improvement, he said.
Sources in the NHAI said that the contractor had been directed to finish the work as quickly as possible.
