Encroachments eat into road space on NH 205

CHENNAI: Ambulances with screaming sirens and flash lights and vehicles standing beyond the white traffic lines are regular scenes at the New Avadi Road—MTH Road junction. Traffic is on the increase on this stretch with motorists choosing this route to avoid the Anna Nagar route, which is perhaps a war zone now due to the Metro Rail construction works. Though the road was originally planned as a four-lane highway, it narrows down marginally as it reaches the Lakshmipuram stretch, near the ICF furnishing unit.“The planned width of 70 feet near the Kilpauk water facility comes down to a mere 32 feet due to encroachments and slums on either side of the road,” says Krishnaswamy, a visibly angry civil engineer who resides in Nadhamuni. The stretch is becoming dangerous day-by-day, leading to accidents and an increase in the death toll each year. According to the records available with Transparent Chennai, an initiative by the Centre for Development Finance, the Lakshmipuram slum notified under the 2003-04 survey, has a population of 600 people.Automobile garages, waste marts and iron works are major businesses that encroach upon the road, leaving no trace of the platform. It is evident that these shops will pose a greater threat if an emergency situation arises, says a traffic police official at the area. "The traffic to and from Kilpauk moves smoothly till the MTH road junction and suffers heavily during peak hours when it reaches the Lakshmipuram area. A motorist needs to make a  painstaking effort to cross this section safely," says Yelumalai, a carpenter.A traffic policeman in the area laments that the Tamil Nadu Slum Clearance Board had notified the Karunanidhi Nagar slum to be removed over five years ago, but no action has been taken since then. "Once the area is cleared, there will not be much hassle in transferring the land on either side, owned by the Chennai Corporation and Metro Water, to the highways for expansion of the road," hopes Venkatesan, an employee at the Integral Coach Factory. Adding to the woes of the motorists are improper lighting and potholed roads during monsoon, says Immanuel, a bank employee.According to traffic policemen, the MTH-New Avadi Road junction has witnessed a steady increase in the volume of traffic after the completion of the Padi grade separator. “The motorists now prefer the NH 205 to reach Anna Nagar and Poonamalee High Road, cutting their travel time considerably. Due to construction activities along the Inner Ring Road (IRR) and Thirumangalam Junction, traffic is often diverted to Anna Nagar 6th Avenue and MTH Road,” he says.Presence of factories and industrial houses along the highway makes the stretch traffic prone and thus, prone to accidents, as well. According to data available with Transparent Chennai, the section between Anna Nagar second Avenue and MTH Avadi Road junction witnessed 304 accidents between 2006- 2010. According to records obtained from the Traffic Department, 27 accidents occurred in 2010 and till August 2011, nine accidents, including two fatal ones, had taken place between MTH Junction and Nadhamuni.