‘Trapdoors’ in Semmancherry: safety measure on broken pavement only papers over the anomaly

The penny drops, but only halfway. With a sense of apprehension, The Hindu Downtown recently cast a cautionary light on a missing slab on the pavement in Semmanchery along Rajiv Gandhi Salai. The word of caution sunk unheeded, as if into the very indenture it highlighted. The gaping hole is deep, and to call it a danger lurking in the shadows is no exaggeration. Due to ongoing CMRL work, this section lacks lights, and it is in the moments of poor lighting that these missing slabs make their presence felt. And according to shopkeepers nearby, a car hit that spot (at that time, there was no barricade shooing off motorists; only a bunch of twigs thrust into the hole) and its tyre plunged into the hollow. Poor lighting had conspired with the gaping hole to “trap” the motorist. “In the impact, the front bumper was broken,” says a shopkeeper. Following the accident, the barricade was placed, but isn’t that response inadequate? One could have expended a word of praise on the exercise — never mind its late arrival — if it had been about plugging the hole with a new slab accompanied by supportive masonry work to ensure its perfect fit. Not far away, another gaping hole lies in wait. It is again a case of a missing slab. This danger is parked right in front of a warren of shops (Pushpa Stores being the landmark), but representatives of TNRDC would not bother to ensure a barricade is placed to draw attention to the danger. A shop owner volunteered to park his advertisement board to warn motorists off the hole. The images were taken on April 18, 2025. Photos: Prince Frederick

The penny drops, but only halfway.

With a sense of apprehension, The Hindu Downtown recently cast a cautionary light on a missing slab on the pavement in Semmanchery along Rajiv Gandhi Salai. The word of caution sunk unheeded, as if into the very indenture it highlighted.

The gaping hole is deep, and to call it a danger lurking in the shadows is no exaggeration. Due to ongoing CMRL work, this section lacks lights, and it is in the moments of poor lighting that these missing slabs make their presence felt.

And according to shopkeepers nearby, a car hit that spot (at that time, there was no barricade shooing off motorists; only a bunch of twigs thrust into the hole) and its tyre plunged into the hollow. Poor lighting had conspired with the gaping hole to “trap” the motorist. “In the impact, the front bumper was broken,” says a shopkeeper.

Following the accident, the barricade was placed, but isn’t that response inadequate? One could have expended a word of praise on the exercise — never mind its late arrival — if it had been about plugging the hole with a new slab accompanied by supportive masonry work to ensure its perfect fit. 

Not far away, another gaping hole lies in wait. It is again a case of a missing slab. This danger is parked right in front of a warren of shops (Pushpa Stores being the landmark), but representatives of TNRDC would not bother to ensure a barricade is placed to draw attention to the danger. 

A shop owner volunteered to park his advertisement board to warn motorists off the hole.