With Deepavali approaching, residents of Motilal Street in T. Nagar and other alleys abutting Usman Road are worried that the already crowded area would be inundated with shoppers.
The lanes have already become narrow due to haphazard parking and the residents want the police and Greater Chennai Corporation to regulate parking as heavy rush in the central shopping district can cause a spike in the number of cases, especially among residents.
There are over 1,000 families living on Natesan Street, Ramanathan Street, Rangan Street, Mangesh Street, Pinjala Subramaniam Street, Venkatesan Street, Motilal Street, Mahalakshmi Street and other lanes on either side of Usman Road. Many of these residents are senior citizens.
“The elderly are not able to step out of their homes as two-wheelers whiz past constantly and there are too many vehicles parked on the road. Due to overcrowding, they seldom step out fearing that they will get infected,” said V.S. Jayaraman, member, T. Nagar Residents Welfare Association.
Residents said commercial establishments in the locality had not made provision for parking space for shoppers.
“The main menace is bike parking. They are parked on both sides of the road and the 30-feet road has hardly 10 feet space left. As vehicles are parked in front of apartment gates, many residents are not able to take their vehicles out. This will worsen during holidays, Deepavali and other festival seasons,” added another resident.
Residents say that although they had informed the police about the problem, action had not been taken on the issue.
“We request the traffic police to tow away the vehicles which are found parked on the streets abutting Usman Road. Such haphazard parking should be monitored. Although there is a paid parking facility in Motilal Street, its staff make motorists park bikes on the road and collect hourly charges from them,” said a resident who has been living in the locality for 50 years.
Pavements occupied
B. Kannan, secretary, T. Nagar Residents’ Welfare Association, said that even the pavements on Usman Road were not spared.
“Bikes are parked and hawkers have occupied the platform, leaving no space for pedestrians. The police and the Corporation are not willing to take action. Many do not wear masks and personal distancing is not followed in many shops and hotels. Arrangements should be made to open shops on alternate days to avoid crowding,” he said.
Senior traffic police officers said that they would take action at the earliest.