The Times of India      27.08.2014

Residents drive civic makeover in Chetpet & Nungambakkam

  On Wednesday, senior corporation officials are scheduled to meet residents of Khader Nawaz Khan Road to discuss the proposal. "There are plans to recover Open Space Reservation lands and construct road side parks, pavements and a parking lot. We are also considering the concretisation of the stretch. All these proposals would be incorporated with the ideas of the residents," said a corporation official.

 Many in the area say the neighbourhood, off Nungambakkam High Road, has changed from a quiet residential locality to a bustling commercial area over the last 10 years. "There has been a gradual increase in the number of commercial establishments in this area and we are struggling because of the illegal parking," said a resident.

K Chandrasekaran, councillor of ward 110 where Khader Nawaz Khan Road is located, said roadside parks had disappeared. "Many commercial firms are using it as a pathway. Residents had filed several representations about mushrooming illegal shops to civic authorities."

 Meanwhile, the 9.9 crore redevelopment project for Harrington Road, which involves laying concrete roads and granite footpaths, is in progress. The Harrington Road Residents' Welfare Association had conducted a survey and petitioned the civic body to transform it. However, some commuters say the work is not progressing fast. "There was no fault with the old road. But the civic body had simply dug up the road for a section of people, " said P Kumar, a regular commuter.

 On Tuesday, mayor Saidai S Duraisamy and corporation commissioner Vikram Kapur visited the road and told contractors to speed up the work.