Saidapet subway to be opened shortly

By R. K. Radhakrishnan

CHENNAI, FEB. 1. The much-delayed Saidapet subway is likely to be opened by mid-February.

``All the major works are over. We are now constructing a staircase for pedestrians. The foot path is ready. The last bit of painting work is on and will be completed in another couple of days,'' says an official. ``The remaining issue is that of lighting. That too will be completed in a week,'' he added.

The Chennai Mayor, Mr. M. K. Stalin, had announced on Wednesday that the subway will be open to traffic in another ``ten to fifteen days.''

The Saidapet Bazaar Road subway has been a long standing demand of the people in the area. A large number of residential colonies dot the ``other'' side of the Railway track, virtually cut off from any emergency facilities when the Railways close the gates to let trains pass through. With the increase in frequency of trains and Electrical Multiple Units, commuting the stretch in any vehicle has been a nightmare.

Residents of the area have all along been worried about the pace of progress on the project ever since it began. Lack of walking space, bad lighting and hawkers added to pedestrian and commuter woes for more than two years. ``The last promised deadline ended more than seven months ago. I wonder how long they will drag on with this project,'' said a harried commuter on Wednesday evening.

Some councillors and officials say that it was against great odds that the subway was built. The Corporation has not been a silent spectator; it has been working very hard, they point out. In just one-and-half years after the project began, the Corporation completed 143 metres of subway on the Alandur Road side. Pavements were concretised and a road was laid along the scooped out portion. Later, road work on the Bazaar Road side was also completed.

Shifting of service lines and a slight delay from the Railway side were among the problems that they point out.

The subway costs about Rs.6 crores. The slope of the subway is 1.29 metres on the Alandur side and 1.25 metres on the Bazaar road side. The carriageway for the subway is 7 metres with two service bridge on either side of the subway.

Heavy vehicles like trucks will not be allowed to ply the subway because the vertical clearance below the railway bridge is only 3.6 metres.

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