A portion of the footpath of the service lane of GST Road, near the Chennai airport, is unusable as it has been occupied by a small garden, established in front of a private caterer to the airport.
The pedestrians are forced to walk on the narrow service lane, where they run the risk of being hit by speeding vehicles.
The garden seems to have been aimed at preventing illegal parking of vehicles and the place from being used as a public convenience. Senior citizens are the worst affected by the encroachment.
The restaurant employees say that the Highways Department has only barricaded the portion and grown the plants, though the plants are watered by the restaurant. Barricading the footpath is not correct as it endangers the lives of pedestrians.
M.B. Sampath Kumar, West Tambaram.
Official responds:
A senior official of the Highways Department says gardens have been established in some portions of the service lane. Steps will be taken to either remove this garden or reduce its width.
12-car coaches needed
Recently, Southern Railway introduced a daily special train to Tiruvannamalai from Chennai Beach by extending the Arakkonam service. This service has been welcomed by commuters. But the train, which takes six hours to reach Tiruvannamalai from the Beach station, is jam-packed.
Since the Chennai Division is using the old eight-car mainline electric multiple unit (MEMU), with no toilets and phone-charging points, passengers, especially women, are put to hardship. We request Southern Railway to operate a 12-car or 16-car MEMU for this service.
M. Ashok Kumar, Thiruninravur.
(Readers can write to this column at readersmailchennai @thehindu.co.in)
