Now that the initial excitement over the pedestrian plaza in T. Nagar has subsided, it is the turn of residents in the surrounding streets to live in perpetual dust.
If in some streets, residents have to contend with the constant whir of share autorickshaws, in others it is the dug up roads that have left senior citizens irritated, as they cannot walk any longer. The Venkatnarayana Road-Dandapani Street-Sivagnanam Street junction is chaotic as the road has been dug up to lay cables. The entry to Pinjala Subramaniam Street is closed and pedestrians jostle with vehicles for space.
“For the last three or four months, we have been wondering what to do about the traffic problem,” said B. Arunachalam of Gopalakrishna Road, which runs parallel to the Theyagaraya Road. “Share auto drivers are unruly. They compete with each other for passengers. My mother is 85 and normally walks on the road. But now she is scared. The police cannot do much, but at least they can put up speed breakers,” he suggested.
An embittered senior resident of Usman Road said merely laying footpaths and LED lights do not make a smart city. “What is the action against building violations and what steps have been taken to tackle fire? How are they going to address an issue like cable fault? Trenching should be foolproof and leak-proof. Who is checking these violations,” he asked. Alleging lack of transparency, he said there should be a board on the road providing information and phone numbers of officials and contractors, he said.
Officials upbeat
Residents also charge that shops lining the plaza have started encroaching the pedestrian space by displaying their wares or placing generator sets, which extend a few feet into the platform.
But the disappointment of residents and shopkeepers in the area has not dampened the enthusiasm of officials behind the Smart City project. An official said 14 feeder roads, including G.N. Road and Venkatnarayana Road, are being upgraded.
Work on underground ducting and safe zones for pedestrians is under way. “The roads won’t be as fancy as the plaza, but will be safe for walking,” the official said.
The operating equipment for the car park has arrived from China but officials are waiting for the installation team. He said that they may have to consider alternatives if the team does not make it.
For parking attendants, it has been a challenging job. The educated young graduates are polite, but face a tough time from others. Often, cars with flags of political parties are parked on the wrong side, obstructing the way. “We tell them to pay, but they demand free parking,” an attendant said.
Parking problems
A battery-shuttle operator, V. Palani, says that it is not just two-wheelers, even car owners park the footpath.
Smart City officials and M. Vairamudi, managing partner of S.S. Tech Parking, which has got the contract, are however confident. “We have started collecting fines. The contractor and the police will be part of enforcement. Chennai is one of the first cities to get such an advanced method. We are in the process of implementing one of the largest systems in the world,” the official explained.
Mr. Vairamudi said, “Cameras are capturing violators. We have tickets and stickers for various violations — and the fine is four times higher than the parking fee. We have a record of vehicles violating rules and will not allow parking the next time. They must pay for earlier violations and we will blacklist violators after three times.”