Pulicat residents demand better maintenance of East Coast Road

Pulicat residents demand better maintenance of East Coast Road

Residents of Pulicat, Tiruvallur district, have reiterated their demand to renovate the stretch of East Coast Road (ECR) from the Pulicat lighthouse to Kattupalli that continues to remain in a dilapidated state.

The stretch of road at Karungali village, where the Kosasthalaiyar River meets the sea, is untraversable as huge waves regularly hit the seawall and flow onto the road, making it difficult for commuters. To tackle this, the residents of Pulicat and nearby fishing hamlets have raised the request for the construction of a bridge in Karungali.

S. Palayam, a hook-and-line fisherman from Urur Kuppam, said a seawall should not have been built at Karungali in the first place. “No one asks fishermen while constructing structures on the coast. Can you see how much sand has been accreted? If a bridge is built where the river meets the sea, the high tide line will not flow onto the road,” he said.

Durai Mahendran, resident of Pulicat, who is part of the Tiruvallur District Traditional United Fishermen’s Association, said a bridge over the seawater-inundated river mouth is required. He said the ECR has been maintained in an abysmal condition for several years now, because of which locals have to take a detour through Ponneri and Minjur to reach Chennai.

R. Surya, a resident of Koraikuppam, said fishermen find it hard to transport fish from their hamlets and Pulicat to areas such as Kasimedu. During monsoon or new and full moon days, the high tides hinder their movement, he said.

Women in the hamlet expressed concerns about sending their children to school along this road and recalled incidents from last year in which two autorickshaws overturned.

Residents said the ECR, which is now under the Highways Department, is an important stretch linking over two dozen fishing hamlets to Chennai. They stressed the need for its better maintenance.