Traffic chaos returns to Ennore Expressway Road

By G Saravanan

Published in The New Indian Express, Chennai, on July 18, 2010:

CHENNAI: As feared by Royapuram, Kasimedu and Thiruvotriyur residents, traffic chaos on Ennore Expressway Road has returned after a gap of three years. Courtesy, the Chennai Port Trust management, which had suddenly returned 11 acres of land given to them for smoothening trailer traffic on the stretch three years ago.

As a ripple effect, container-laden vehicles were forced to share the always-busy road with hapless motorists in North Chennai connecting Parrys Corner with Ennore.

“After the Deputy Chief Minister M K Stalin intervened directly to reduce traffic snarls in the stretch by making arrangements of a trailers yard, we were hopeful that chaos would not return anymore, but our hope seems to be dashed as port management lets down the local’s wish for better accessibility,” Varadhan, a regular motorist from Thiruvotriyur, told Express.

It is sheer callous attitude of the port management, which by handing back the land to Thiruvotriyur Municipality, puts lives of thousands of motorists using the stretch in danger of being hit by haphazard movement of trailers, said Karnan, a resident of Kasimedu.

The residents also blamed the Port Trust that it never understood the local people’s difficulties in using the expressway where container trailers and heavily-loaded tipper lorries (coming in and out of the port) fully occupy the space with less or no room for other vehicles and public transports like MTC buses to use.

For the Port Trust, the issue in developing the trailer parking lot was a long-term lease, and recently, the state government has also allowed the Port Trust to enjoy the plot for 18 years and assured the port of preference in renewal after the period.

Despite given long-term lease for the land and other advantages as the port wished, residents are unable to understand why they returned the land, thus forcing trailers to occupy road.