Milk Colony, Madhavaram, cries for attention

By G Saravanan

Published in The New Indian Express, Chennai on July 13, 2011:

Source:http://expressbuzz.com/cities/chennai/milk-colony-madhavaram-cries-for-attention/293480.html

CHENNAI: Local residents and regular commuters using the one-km stretch of Milk Colony Road branching from Madhavaram High Road near Thabalpetti and connecting with the Milk Colony, Madhavaram, have appealed to the local body to repair the particular part of the road as it has become non-motorable for the past six years.

The one-km stretch is the vital link road for thousands of residents living inside the Madhavaram Milk Colony, Mathur MMDA, Chinna Mathur and Manali to reach Chennai city and vice-versa for different works.

Santhanam, a local resident from the locality and who regularly travels through the pot-holed stretch up to a private firm in Mylapore told City Express that the stretch was in bad shape for many years and the authorities of Madhavaram Municipality never took it as a public issue.

“The condition of the stretch is so bad for several years. Regular commuters describe it as a road formed with only pot holes without any black top,” lamented Santhanam.

Besides two-wheelers and other private vehicles, MTC buses use the damaged stretch to reach Madhavaram Milk Colony, Mathur and Manali areas.

“About 50 MTC services take this stretch every day that connect the interior suburban areas to different parts of the city. When they cross the particular stretch, most of the passengers prefer to stand from their seats to keep their body off any back aches,” Krishnan, an employee works with the private restaurant inside the Milk Colony, told City Express.

With the Madhavaram municipal authorities who turned blind eye towards the commuters’ sufferings despite repeated pleas, the locals appealed to the Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa and the state Minister for Animal Husbandry N R Sivapathi to visit the Tamil Nadu Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (TANUVAS) campus located just two kilometers away from the damaged stretch.

“If the Chief Minister or the concerned Minister visits the University campus, they have to travel through the same pot-holed stretch and the official machinery will realise the pain and will take immediate action prior to their visits,” Kumaran, another local resident told City Express.

When contacted for their reaction, neither the Commissioner of the Madhavaram Municipality or any other competent officials from the local body was available for comment.