Satyan Bhatt, a media professional, pointed out how ongoing works have damaged the roads, leaving motorists in the lurch. He said, “Entire stretch of Marshall’s Road and Egmore has become unmotorable now. Authorities concerned need to take action immediately to avoid traffic snarls and accidents and ensure smooth movement of vehicles. They seem to have been dug up and not redone properly.”

More than a month ago, when the end of the stretch towards Ethiraj Salai was dug up, DT Next had contacted the Corporation official from Zone 5 who said that it was a temporary condition and that they were awaiting no-objection certificate from the Chennai Metro Water and Sewerage Board to carry out the repairs.

However, now the dug up stretches extends all through the road up to the point it meets the roundtana linking the road to Pantheon Road. Commuters also pointed out that the works have resulted in construction material being dumped on either side of the road.

The road is home to public places, educational institutions, religious places of worship, apart from the Government Eye Hospital, all of which bring a steady flow of traffic on the road all through the day. 

Raj R, a resident of Velachery, taking the route to his office in Egmore, said, that he was appalled to see the inaction by authorities. 

“The condition of Rukmani Lakshmipathi Road has irked the motorists for over a month now. The corporation officials have dug up the road on either side, which has narrowed the road by a few meters starting from Rajarathinam stadium till the Pantheon Road Junction. As there are no traffic police personnel manning the stretch, reckless crossing by vehicles approaching from the bylanes makes the road congested. With hospitals and other private and government offices in the vicinity, vehicles parked on the road add to the bottleneck and pose trouble for the commuters,” he added.

A senior official from Greater Chennai Corporation said that restoration is underway, assuring that the work would be completed in a week’s time.