Motorists want widening of Pallavaram-Kundrathur Road to be sped up

Commuters who use the road say the traffic is extremely heavy for several hours in the morning and evening, with no space for pedestrians; work to widen the stretch was begun four years ago but has progressed very slowly

Motorists using the Pallavaram - Kundrathur Road are used to its daily traffic snarls and slow pace of vehicular movement. However, many avoid the road if they are to head out to the airport, due to the unpredictable nature of traffic on the stretch that offers connectivity to places including Porur, Poonamallee and beyond.

M. Raja, area committee secretary, Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) of Kundrathur, said that the widening of the road was very necessary, since the traffic was unbearable. "Many residents prefer to take the roundabout route of going via Outer Ring Road to avoid getting caught in the snarls. However, there too, the Tiruneermalai Road running via Chromepet is in bad shape," he said.

The government had announced the widening of the road a few years ago, and the Highways Department had initiated the project around four years ago. Of the six revenue villages that the road runs through, land acquisition proceedings are in an advanced stage in one village.

The road runs via residential cum commercial areas in Kancheepuram and Chengalpattu districts, and is always busy. Mr. Raja said that the pace of the widening project was very slow. “We are planning to submit petitions to the District Collector and to the Highways Department asking that the work be sped up,” he said, adding that adequate compensation should be paid to project-affected persons.

C. Sekar, a weaver of Anakaputhur, said that though the distance between Pallavaram and Anakaputhur was only 4 km, it took him around 45 minutes to traverse the stretch. "The traffic is extremely heavy, most of it being two-wheelers. Peak hours are stretched from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. and then again from 4.30 p.m. to 9 p.m. There is no space for pedestrians," he said.