Sandwiched between two corporations, flawed civic planning fails Chennai's Medavakkam suburb

CHENNAI: Sandwiched between Tambaram and Chennai Corporations, Medavakkam, with over one lakh population, does not reap any benefits of the city. Residents have been complaining about poor roads, groundwater contamination, faulty stormwater drains and poor garbage collection for at least half a decade now. Ironically the area has the longest flyover in the city.

Though it is a part of the city where many IT employees reside, it is still categorised as a town panchayat. Officials say lack of funds is why they are not able to cater to urban needs. A visit to the area presented a picture of apathy with vehicles trying to work their way through encroachers and battered roads.

"Water pipelines were laid in the area under the Jal Jeevan Scheme. But the pipes get damaged frequently, due to which roads are dug and relaid. Roads from Medavakkam to Mambakkam are in a poor state, posing accident risk," said A Sathik Basha, a resident, adding that the residents mostly depend on borewell water since the water supply is irregular.

Another major issue is the lack of service lane on the Medavakkam flyover. The 95-crore project, instead of reducing traffic snarls, has only been adding to the woes of motorists. Due to land acquisition issues, the 500-metre service lane of the first arm is still pending. Motorists are forced to take a 1.5 km roundabout to reach Sholinganallur and adjoining areas.

"Ever since the flyover was proposed, residents have been against it as it serves no purpose. Ideally, one arm of the flyover should have led towards Siruseri, Sholinganallur and Old Mahabalipuram Road because that is where the traffic snarls are common," said R Srinath, a regular motorist.

Apart from this, the area also experiences groundwater contamination due to illegal sewer lanes, footpath encroachment and poor maintenance of public washrooms, among others.

When contacted, an official from the town panchayat said, "Not much funds are allocated for the area. We have received complaints regarding stormwater drains and waterlogging, and forwarded them to the higher-ups. But, no funds have been received so far."