Chennai: Frequent accidents revive demand for median construction

CHENNAI: A stalled median construction by the Greater Chennai corporation and the Greater Chennai Traffic police has led to an accident opposite the Perambur railway station on Monday. A pink-coloured ordinary bus of the MTC hit the median around 6am, and its wheels were stuck on the median.
No one was hurt. The construction of the median, which began in 2020 thanks to the efforts of local activist group Perambur brigade since 2016, was stalled in 2021.The residents have begun raising voice for the completion of the median.
The median was supposed to run from Perambur railway station to BB Road. There are three Tasmac bars, several eateries that used the road for parking. The eatery owners and auto drivers protested against the construction of the median saying it would narrow the road.
Raghukumar Choodamani, civic activist said that in 2015, after three years of struggle, they got the civic body to set up concrete blocks as a median. However, in 2016, it was removed, and metal barricades were placed by the Greater Chennai Traffic Police. After several petitions, police promised construction of a concrete median but never took it up until 2020.
He said, "The construction of the median which was started sometime in December 2020 was stalled abruptly in 2021 to serve the vested interest of a few commercial establishments and auto drivers. It was shocking to us as an incomplete median would be more dangerous than no median at all. We met all officials. A petition filed through the chief minister's helpline has been pending over the last five months," he said.
The activists claimed that many cars have hit the incomplete median and toppled in the past few years. "Thankfully no one was hurt in the bus accident today. It is high time the authorities complete the median," said Govardhan, a resident.
Police officials said that a case was filed and it was the negligence of the driver and not the median that caused the accident. "We cannot set up medians based on public demand. We have set up a median and that's enough," said a police officer.