Thursday, July 18, 2019

Tambaram's subway is now a playground for miscreants

Residents call for action as the subway connecting residential localities of East Tambaram to West Tambaram lacks illumination and is a hotspot for crimes.

Published: 18th July 2019 02:51 AM |

Due to lack of illumination, the public, especially women, are hesitant to use the subway even in mornings. 

Express News Service

CHENNAI: Broken alcohol bottles, garbage-strewn in every nook and cranny, a leaking roof and an unbearable stench surrounds the subway connecting East and West Tambaram. Built at a cost of Rs 3.85 crore and opened just six months ago, the subway has become a hotspot for crime and anti-social activities. Due to lack of illumination, the public, especially women, are hesitant to use it even in the mornings. Commuters have requested the officials
to have a security guard posted at the
subway  P Jawahar

A visit to the subway, maintained by the Southern Railway exposed the sorry state of affairs. “At night, people from the Tambaram market and other miscreants come here to drink and then they break the bottles and create a ruckus. Recently, a glass piece protruded into a six-year-old boy’s leg and there was blood everywhere,” said Sriram, a resident of Tambaram.

The subway was primarily aimed at connecting the residential localities of East Tambaram like Ganapathy Puram, MEC Road to West Tambaram. Previously, the residents would jaywalk on the railway tracks to reach East Tambaram. “Two of my sons were attacked by tipplers in the night when they crossed the subway. We feel walking on the tracks is less risky compared to the subway,” said Gomathy Elavarasan, one of the residents.

As the subway is not sufficiently illuminated, many pedestrians avoid it on grounds of safety. “We take a one-kilometre roundabout or take a bus to avoid the subway. Pickpocketing is also very common in the subway. One cannot cross it without using the torch in their mobile phone, which makes it very convenient for the miscreants to snatch mobiles. We have already witnessed five such cases recently. This is such a waste of tax payers’ money,” said Narayanaswamy Subbaraman, another resident.

Commuters have requested the officials to have a security guard posted at the subway or to come up with a solution. The Southern Railway officials could not be contacted for their comment on the issue.

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