The Hindu 27.02.2013
Armed with list of encroachments on footpaths, civic body to begin evictions
The Chennai Corporation will start removing encroachments on pedestrian facilities based on a list submitted by the Traffic Police.
At a meeting of the sub-committee on infrastructure improvement and promotion of non-motorised transport chaired by the Chennai Corporation Commissioner on Tuesday, the traffic police submitted the list of encroachments that have emerged as bottlenecks to pedestrian movement.
As a step towards removal of encroachments, traffic police officials had initiated a survey of all the encroachments on footpaths along bus routes and interior roads a few months ago.
The recommendation to remove encroachments on footpaths was made at the first meeting of the sub-committee last year.
The State government had constituted such sub-committees to help shape the Chennai Unified Metropolitan Transport Authority (CUMTA).
Even though the civic body had given a deadline of two weeks for completion of the survey, the delay in convening the next meeting emerged a stumbling block for any encroachment-removal drive.
The sub-committee has representatives from traffic police, Highways Department and agencies such as Chennai City Connect.
Non-motorised transport
According to officials, the discussion of the sub-committee on Tuesday also focussed on steps to be taken towards enhancement of operations of the non-motorised transport.
“The Chennai Corporation officials will design infrastructure for non-motorised transport and prepare estimates for such infrastructure including bicycle tracks. The timelines have been fixed for many pilot projects,” said a member of the committee.
Estimates for many such pilot projects are likely to be readied before the next meeting of the sub-committee in March.
The civic body will study the bus routes where new bus bays are needed to support the plans of Metropolitan Transport Corporation to augment fleet.
New bus bays
New bus bays and depots will soon be designed and commissioned in many parts of the city.
The Chennai Corporation will also identify roads for non-motorised transport particularly around metro stations and MRTS stations with the support of Traffic Police, Highways Department and Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority.
Following a survey, the traffic police identified such structures along bus routes and interior roads
