Save North Chennai from traffic congestion

By G Saravanan

Published in The New Indian Express, Chennai on June 23, 2011:

Source:http://expressbuzz.com/cities/chennai/save-north-chennai-from-traffic-congestion/286976.html

CHENNAI: The stakeholders meeting organised by the Thiruvottiyur MLA K Kuppan to solve the perennial traffic problem in North Chennai roads due to container-trailer movements witnessed local residents pouring out their anger against government’s apathy in solving the long pending issue.

“Please save North Chennai and its people from traffic congestion, pollution and, more importantly, from loss of lives due to unrestricted movement of heavy vehicles” was the ‘fervent and clear’ appeal sent out to the attending officials by the local people.

It may be noted that the local people, several times in the past, had agitated against the Chennai Port Trust, for which the roads are lifeline for the movement of all cargoes into and out of the harbour. However, nothing substantial happened on ground despite repeated assurances by the authorities that the menace would be curtailed.

With the view to arresting traffic congestion in these parts, the Chennai Port Trust in 2007 had acquired 11 acre land along the Ennore Expressway from the Thiruvottiyur Municipality on lease and announced that it would be developed as a mega parking yard for all container trailers entering the Port from Thiruvottiyur side.

However, the parking yard still remains unattended without any improvement in the basic facilities. Moreover, despite having the facility, trailers as an unwritten rule park along the Ennore Expressway.

A few months ago, angered over the callous attitude of the Port authorities towards the issue, Thiruvottiyur residents served an ultimatum to the authorities to set its container yard right within a week’s time and keep the road clear or they would start blocking the entry of all container-laden trailers. After the open threat on disruption of vehicular movement, the Port authorities pacified the locals and promised to set the yard right.

At the meeting held on Monday and attended by representatives from Chennai Port, police and adjacent local bodies, the residents complained that the Chennai Port Trust never understood the difficulties faced by the local people while using the expressway where container trailers (bound for the port) fully occupy the carriage way with barely any space for other vehicles and public transport.

Speaking at the meeting, G Varadarajan, coordinator of North Chennai People’s Rights Federation, the biggest residents’ welfare body for Thiruvottiyur and its neighbourhood areas, said, “the residents are perplexed over the piling up of container trailers on the busy stretch almost every day and it is mainly due to the callous attitude of the port trust officials.”

Echoing his sentiment, R Jayaraman, Chairman of the Thiruvottiyur Municiplaity, said, “Had the Port developed container trailer parking yard properly ever since it came to their possession, it would have considerably reduced the parking of such trailers on the busy road, which eats away more than half of the space on road leaving little space for other users.”

Making his concluding speech at the meeting, Thiruvottiyur MLA Kuppan acknowledged that the issue had been persisting for years and time has come to solve it permanently. He appealed to the officials concerned to take necessary steps soon to solve the issue.