CHENNAI Next Saturday, which happens to be Deepavali Day, the Pondy Bazaar Pedestrian Plaza will celebrate its first anniversary. The transformation of the market place which had an assortment of shops, some of them spilling on to the road, with a sliver of footpath that was used up by vehicles, was magnificent. People made trips to make sure that the impossibly crowded stretch had indeed become orderly and fanciful.
Pondy Bazaar had been converted into an upmarket walkway with colourful lights and a pleasant location to spend time.
But all good things must come to an end. In several places along the plaza, stone slabs have come undone. Walkers point out that the maintenance could have been better.
A walker, who owns a shop on Venkatnarayana Road, said the officials could provide contact details of the project managers to register their complaints. “Now, we don’t know to whom we should complain,” he said.
Work revived
After the COVID-19 induced lockdowns were lifted, workers set about completing the improvement work in the neighbouring arterial stretches such as G.N. Chetty Road, Venkatanarayana Road, besides a few interior streets. The work was slow but steady.
Once the bollards were in place, motorists did not ride on the pavement.
But the burden was shifted to smaller interior streets, it turned out. The renovation work had been on for over three months on these streets and is far from complete. With no dedicated car parking facility, the new pavements on Sivagnanam Street, Raja Street and Prakasam Street had turned parking lots and pedestrians were forced to walk on the road.
Construction debris and material are languishing in many places, even within the pedestrian plaza stretch. The multi-level car parking facility that was planned in the middle of the stretch was supposed to solve the parking issue. But it is yet to be inaugurated, though civil work is reportedly nearly complete.
“They have not completed the work. There is a gaping hole near the junction of Venkatnarayana Road and Sivagnanam Road for laying cables. The hole is filled with debris and garbage,” said a resident of Venkatnarayana Road.
“I used to drive down the stretch between Sivagnanam Road and Thanikachalam Road since Theagaraya Road became a one-way. But now I cannot drive as people park cars on both sides of the road,” he said.
Footpath construction
Footpaths on Gopalakrishna Road and Muthukrishnan Street on the northern side of Theagaraya Road are being renovated. A resident of Gopalakrishna Road said: “They have been laying the footpath for the last three months. The whole road is a mess. Already, cars are parked on the footpath. We were better off before they started the work. There appears to be no urgency to complete the work either,” he said.
As a regular walker on the pedestrian plaza, he said he had noticed an increase in the number of people asking for alms.
Prakash Galada, another long-time resident of T. Nagar who uses the plaza regularly, said transgenders were harassing the public demanding money.
Officials said the plaza was a success story that would be emulated elsewhere in the city.
Greater Chennai Corporation Deputy Commissioner (Works) Meghanatha Reddy said the pedestrian plaza had inspired a series of such interventions in various parts of the city.
More plans afoot
“We will start work on 30 km of similar projects under Chennai City Partnership. T. Nagar's Pedestrian Plaza is the trigger. But the challenge is to maintain it well. We are collecting fines from people who litter the place. Work on roads such as Usman Road, G.N. Chetty Road, Burkit Road, and Venkatnarayana Road will be completed shortly. The multi-level car parking facility on Thanikachalam Road will be completed in December.
More than 270 cars will get parking space after inauguration. More on-street parking will ease congestion,” Mr. Reddy added.