Chennai: A large number of students, professionals and commuters using the highway connecting GST Road at Vandalur to Kelambakkam in OMR face safety issues, as it lacks streetlights. Worse, the state highways dept does not have any plan to set up street lights here anytime soon. Reason: The panchayats there do not have money to pay power bills.The stretch is home to several tourist attractions such as Vandalur zoo and forest genetic tree park, and scores of educational institutions. Yet, the the 21-km stretch did not have functional street lights for years. Private institutions that required them placed lower-power LED lights for their visitors.
There are multiple panchayats here, including Venkagadamangalam, Mambakkam, Pudupakkam, Melakottaiyur, Padur, Kelambakkam and Thaiyyur. Thiruporur VCK MLA S S Balaji said he raised the issue several times in panchayat union meetings. “The highways did install a few streetlights in some stretches, but the panchayat failed to pay the bills. The poles and lights got damaged eventually, and highways refused to erect lights again. The govt has to bestow power to the Thiruporur panchayat union, which has the money to pay the bills,” the MLA said.Hari Bhaskar, BDO of Thiruporur village panchayat union, said the local bodies, as individual entities, do not have funds to pay for street lights along the whole highway. “But we set up common high masts in non-highway stretches upon request. The rest has to be decided by the highways,” he said. Highways divisional engineer Dhanaseelan said they build the infrastructure and hand it over to the local body for maintenance. “Here, the amenities become unusable if the panchayat does not pay bills. They have to take care of everything, including annual maintenance contracts. We discussed this issue many times, but were unable to arrive to a consensus. The govt departments must provide funds or offer a solution,” he said.Many hostel students use the road during late night. The stretch has no pavements, making it unsafe for pedestrians. “It is pitch dark, and only vehicle lights guide the pedestrians in navigating the stretch. Those heading to Puducherry, Mamallapuram and coastal districts of Tamil Nadu use this road from Vandalur. They must fix it soon,” said V Navaneethan, a resident.
