From time to time, residents of Jai Balaji Nagar in Nesapakkam have banded together for the common good. In the late nineties, it was night patrol by residents to check the movement of anti-socials. And then, collectively, they have levelled uneven stretches with construction debris; installed nameboards on streets; and greened the neighbourhood through tree-planting exercises.
Now, they are collectively battling what they believe to be ill-advised footpaths in the neighbourhood. The argument they have placed on the table for Greater Chennai Corporation to consider: Why construct a four-feet-wide footpath on both sides of a 20-feet-wide street and reduce the carraiageway to just 12 feet?
Residents point out that a majority of the streets in Jai Balaji Nagar are just 20-feet wide.
Reportedly, led by a long-time resident and a civil engineer R. Venketaraman, residents tried persuading GCC officials to give up the construction of footpaths on narrow streets, even running a signature campaign. Residents are said to be have had regular consultations and even a WhatsApp group among themselves to discuss the issue.
Now, Venketaraman has taken this ‘battle’ to a new level by filing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) at the Madras High Court, opposing footpath work on arrow stretches. The case came up for hearing a few days ago. “Jai Balaji Nagar is our neighbourhood. Greater Chennai Corporation should have held a consultation with residents before starting such a work,” says 65-year-old Venketaraman.
There is another factor that has led residents to disapprove of this pavement work: With concrete slabs, the footpaths don’t allow for rainwater percolation.
When the complete lockdown was in place, GCC had put many of its civic works on hold. When lockdown restrictions were relaxed in August, the civic body resumed many of its civic works, which include the footpath work at Jai Balaji Nagar.
With the Madras High Court asking the GCC to dispose of the representation made by the residents within a reasonable time, residents are hopeful that their grievances against such a footpath work would be addressed by the civic body.