Gusty seasonal wind has been kicking up clouds of dust on the city roads, leaving motorists fretting and fuming over the past few days.
The Tamil month of Aadi is usually marked by windy days in the city and the wind has been blowing heavily for the past one week. Pedestrians, bi-cyclists and two-wheeler riders have been experiencing a harrowing time due to clouds of dust kicked up by the wind.
Accumulation of fine sand and dust along roads in the city has been a persistent problem in the city as there is no cleaning mechanism. Accumulated sand along several arterial roads give a nightmarish experience to road users. The problem is acute around the Chathram and Central Bus Stands, West Boulevard Road, Madurai Road, Vella Mandi Road, Gandhi Market, Thanjavur Road and Chennai By-pass Road. The City Corporation some years ago hired for a few days a truck fitted with vacuum cleaning equipment on a trial basis to be tried on city roads, only to give it up soon. The National Highways Authority of India engages men and machine to periodically clear the accumulated sand along the Chennai By-pass Road, but the Corporation has no such a system.
“Even walking, leave alone riding a motorcycle is difficult as the dusty winds leaves one almost blind. The dust particles hit your face sharply. Even wearing sun glasses does not help. The Corporation should clean the sand from the roads ahead of the windy season. If it does not have the manpower, it can hire machines temporarily at least,” said R.Gopal, a resident of K.K.Nagar.
Given the narrow roads, a majority of two-wheeler riders are pushed to the edges, often making their vehicles wobble in the sand. Besides, the heavy vehicles kick up a cloud of dust leaving the two wheeler riders to ride though a haze. The dusty roads aggravate the problems for those with respiratory ailments and asthma. The heavy wind also leads to accidents, complain residents. A few days back, two persons riding a motorcycle were killed on the Chennai by-pass road after being hit by a lorry. Locals believe that they lost balance due to the heavy wind.