Police watch tower hinders pedestrian movement

CHENNAI : A watch tower built by the Chennai City Police last month near the junction of South Mada Street and Ramakrishna Mutt Road to maintain law and order during Deepavali still hasn’t been removed, and continues to pose a hindrance for pedestrians and motorists alike.

Locals said that the tower, a temporary structure built with wooden logs, was set up by officials on November 4 to monitor the crowded streets of Mylapore during Deepavali festival. But, even after 45 days, the structure hasn’t been removed complained residents.

“The structure completely blocks the pavement and vehicles going towards Ramakrishna Mutt Road have no space to turn. Being a temporary structure, why is it not removed yet?” asked Baskar Seshadri, a resident of Mylapore, in his mail to Express.

When a traffic policeman stationed nearby was questioned about this, the official replied that Traffic Police wing had no role to play in this as it was put off originally by the law and order wing. A senior police officer from Mylapore division said, “Temple festivals are organised frequently in Mylapore. Separate funds cannot be allocated to set up these watch towers every time. These help in monitoring the over-crowded streets during public events.”