MLA hostel to press club road stretch a shambles

Chennai: A 500m vital link road connecting MLA hostel to Chennai Press Club at Chepauk is in disarray, with potholes, encroached pavements littered with liquor bottles, and walls defaced by political party posters, with no greenery. The stretch connects two major bus routes—Sivananda Salai and Walajah Road—which house Chepauk cricket stadium, All India Radio, Kalaivanar Arangam, and Madras University. Chennai Press Club hosts a series of press meets daily, with participants coming from across the state.Commuters struggle on the battered road, and the damage is more prevalent on the stretch from Wallajah Road to MLA hostel entrance, where there are giant potholes and craters. Layers of junk was found near the press club, and a foul stench emanating from horse dung scattered along Wallajah Road, has been troubling people passing through the area. These horses, used for joyrides in Marina, are housed here illegally in violation of GCC stable rules. The stretch is entirely maintained by the public works department (PWD), which did not hand over civic maintenance to GCC. Corporation commissioner J Kumaragurubaran said it is only a small stretch in the larger scheme of things for the civic body. "If the PWD transfers the property to GCC, we will transform it," he said.R Sagayaraj, a frequent visitor to the press club, said the road stretch holds symbolic as well as practical significance. "With proper facilities, such as lighting and regular clean-up, nearby residents and establishments would benefit ," he said.Jayaram Venkatesan, convenor of Arappor Iyakkam, which holds regular press meets at the club, said the problem was there for a while, and the fact that the MLA hostel campus is maintained better than the stretch outside shows disparity. "Even in localities where IAS officers live, the premises are well maintained, whereas nearby residential localities fall behind," he said.PWD Secretary Mangat Ram Sharma was not available for comment.