Damal residents demand subway across NH

CHENNAI: For over 500 families of Damal Colony in Kancheepuram, crossing the Chennai-Bengaluru NH is nothing short of a nightmare. Residents said, the anganwadi, ration shop, milk co-operative society and crematorium are located in Ambedkar Nagar, which is on the northern side, while an elementary school, temple and a private company, where several of them work, are on the southern side.

“Currently, the highway is being expanded into an eight-lane road. It’ll become more difficult for locals to cross the road once it is completed. Students risk their lives by crossing the NH,” said Su Shanmugam, Damal panchayat president.

Three years ago, a 13-member group who came in a mini-van to attend a funeral were killed after their vehicle was hit by a bus. “Since that accident, we repeatedly petitioned the district administration demanding a subway. While the officials initially promised to put up a traffic signal, now they are refusing to do that also. We plan to stage a road roko soon,” said Guhan, a resident.

People lament that even for accessing the crematorium they have to cross the highway, thus risking their lives. Meanwhile, the State Highways Department officials said they forwarded the demand to the National Highways Authority of India but are yet to get a reply regarding the subway.