Stating that the woman had fallen unconscious, V Santhanam, an activist in the area said, “She was treated at the government hospital there and sent home. The fact that it has not been working for 10 days is unacceptable.”

Adding to the fact that it has not been functioning, residents alleged that there is no evidence of supervision or maintenance work being done there. “There was no notice board about the closure and both the escalators on the east and west are closed. There is not a single sweeper in sight and trash is found everywhere,” said the activist who resides there.

Another resident said, “Many passengers prefer to take the risk of crossing the busy road, rather than climbing the stairs.” 

Suspecting that the annual maintenance contract was not renewed, the residents said that there should be an emergency complaint number which they can call. “Whom do we get in touch with when such problems are seen,” asked the resident. 

“We have been trying to get in touch with various Highways officials. But they didn’t take any action to help us. Eventually, after constant enquiries, we were assured that it will be repaired in a day. However, we have not been given a reason for the delay yet,” added the activist. 

Officials from the Highways Department were not available to comment on the issue.