Poor illumination is no longer a sore point for motorists and pedestrians passing through the intersection of Chennai Bypass Road and Samayapuram Main Road in Porur.
A month ago, LED street lights were installed around the intersection, which is near Sri Ramachandra Medical College-Hospital. And these LED street lights are solar-powered.
Reportedly, as a result of poor illumination, accidents and cases of petty crime, including cellphone- and chain-snatching, were common here.
“Before these street lights were installed, it was easy for miscreants to lurk around the service lanes. Lack of street lights also caused traffic-related problems at the intersection of Bypass Road and Samayapuram Main Road,” says K. Velayudham, a trader from Porur.
As it involves the Chennai Bypass Road, the importance of this intersection – which is commonly called the the Samayapuram Main Road intersection – cannot be overstated. It is extremely busy during most times of the day.
At Maduravoyal, where the flyover on the Chennai Bypass helps motorists reach the stretch below the Bypass through a series of ramps. At Porur, there are no such ramps to make such a thing possible. And the Samayapuram Main Road plays the role of connector, linking the Chennai Bypass Road with the Mount-Poonamalle Main Road, which runs below the Bypass at Porur.
Sadly, all these years, on both sides of the intersection of Samayapuram Main Road and Chennai Bypass Road, there hadn't been any street lights.
As per the norms, installation and maintenance of street lights on highways, which includes both national and state highways, should be carried out by the respective local bodies.
In this case, the intersection comes under the jurisdiction of the Vanagaram village panchayat in Tiruvallur district.
Without adequate funds on tap, the panchayat is said to have delayed providing this safety feature, which is absolutely necessary.
Realising what the delay was doing to the traffic situation at the intersection, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) installed street lights on both sides of the intersection a month ago at a cost of Rs. 3.8 crore.
Electrical lines have also provided and this serves as an alternative arrangement, ensuring that burning of the street lights will not e disrupted during monsoon.
The newly installed street lights will be maintained by NHAI.
As far as better lighting at the intersection is concerned, a long dim high mast lamp is located near the toll plaza. Several petty crimes were reported at local police stations in Porur and Maduravoyal.