Chennai: The pothole-ridden Nungambakkam subway on Nelson Manickam Road presents a daily struggle for commuters. Repair work worth nearly 1 crore has been stalled due to delays in traffic diversion approvals, according to Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) officials.The stretch serves as a crucial link for Anna Nagar, Aminjikarai, Nungambakkam and Egmore, and is used by school and college students from Loyola College and Women’s Christian College, besides providing access to hospitals in the locality. With frequent ambulance movement, school traffic and office commuters, the subway witnesses heavy vehicular flow throughout the day. “This road needs immediate repair. School students travelling with their parents on bikes are especially at risk due to the uneven surface,” said Vennila K, a teacher at a nearby private school. Councillor of Ward 109, Sukanya Selvam who has witnessed a GCC official get injured here agrees. “Commuting through that subway is a hassle,” she said. After repeated complaints, GCC allocated 1 crore for the work nearly seven months ago. “But work is yet to begin. Officials say they can’t do any work without stopping traffic,” she said.GCC assistant engineer Ramakrishnan said an estimate of 40 lakh for work on each side of the subway was prepared and tenders floated, but traffic police is yet to make plans for traffic diversion. Traffic police, on the other hand, said the diversion on the road is difficult as the options are few. Officials have now deflected the blame onto election works, even as commuters pay the price. Martin G, an auto driver, said the condition of the road remains consistently poor. “Roads are usually relaid during elections, but this stretch has been neglected,” he said.Several arterial roads in Nungambakkam and Kodambakkam are in bad state, often attributed to ongoing metro work. “Metro work is cited as an excuse to avoid addressing complaints. But that cannot apply to this subway,” he said. “My auto’s components have to be constantly replaced. There is a cost to this inconvenience,” he said.
