Motorists, vendors hit rough patch on OMR-ECR link road
Chennai: 'Inconvenience today for a better tomorrow' reads the message on barricades erected by Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) on the OMR-ECR link road leading to Sholinganallur junction.
However, the magnitude of inconvenience caused is far too much to tolerate, say road-users and shopkeepers along the 900m stretch of Kalaignar Karunanidhi Salai.
Work on CMRL phase-2 corridor 3 worsened problems by reducing road width and adding to dirt and dust. "One has to search for the road amid all the rubble and stones and dust. The road level dipped owing to construction work. Last week, an elderly man fell off his bike on the slippery stretch and injured himself.
No one took action, not even to lay a temporary road," said Saravanan, who owns a shop on the stretch.
Most shopkeepers, who earlier used to display products outside their shops, now don't. "Dust accumulates quickly. Vehicles are bound to get dirty if parked outside even for a few minutes," said a resident of the area.
The state of the road worsens as one progresses towards the Sholinganallur signal. Construction debris and material spill on the road, making the commute difficult.
Asked why some portions did not have barricades, the contractor of a private firm in charge of the metro work on the stretch said, "Barricades can only be erected when there is a stable road. Unfortunately, to lay the road, macro drainage work [to facilitate water flow and prevent flooding] has to be completed, and that rests with the Highways.
We have also been pressing for laying a temporary road on the stretch."
Contractor Murugan, in charge of the roadwork, said macro drainage work to facilitate easy flow of floodwater and drainage was completed and only the road-laying work remained.
One look at the stretch, however, tells a different story. Residents rue that the pitiable plight continued for more than three months.
When contacted, Ananthraj, ADE, city roads, highways department, said steps would be taken to lay a road within a week. "Debris will be cleared, and steps will be taken to level the road," he added.
The 45km corridor 3 of CMRL Phase 2 project, under construction, extends from Madhavaram Milk Colony to Siruseri Sipcot.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hindu
4 days ago
- The Hindu
‘Arupadai Veedu' expo opened at Muruga Bhaktargal conference venue in Madurai
The objective of Muruga Bhaktargal conference organised by Hindu Munnani in Madurai on June 22 is the same that of Muthamizh Murugan maanadu organised by Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments in Palani in 2024, said Pudhucherry Home Minister, A. Namassivayam. He was here to inaugurate an exhibition on 'Arupadai Veedu' where 'Vel' brought from all the six abodes of Lord Murugan has been displayed. Mr. Namassivayam said that the conference was for all spiritually-involved people and devotees of Lord Murugan and to uphold Tamil culture. 'This is aimed at peace and happiness for all the people and not to divide the people,' he added. Hindu Munnani president, Kadeswara Subramaniam, was present.
The Hindu
6 days ago
- The Hindu
Construction flaws caused crash at Manapakkam: CMRL officials
The construction flaws appear to have led to the girders crash at Manapakkam in which a 43-year-old person was crushed to death on Thursday night. According to officials of Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) a detailed investigation into the incident has begun. 'Prima facie, it appears that the method of construction is at fault. The I-girders should have been secured well,' an official said. In addition, the vibration from movement of heavy vehicles over an undulation of a recently closed pothole on the road too could have triggered the incident. It could have been prevented if the girders were firmly secured, the official suspected. Around 9.45 p.m., as 43-year-old Ramesh, a resident of Nagercoil was travelling past Manapakkam, the girders from the under-construction flyover fell on him. At this location, a double-decker corridor's construction has been ongoing for years. While the flyover is at the first level, CMRL's phase II elevated corridor 5 runs above it. Last week, very close to the location where the incident occurred, CMRL claimed a 'historic engineering feat' after erecting a 33.3 metre U-girder for the elevated corridor. While the U-girders are fixed here for building the Metro Rail's elevated stretch, the I-girders are deployed for the building of the flyover linking Mugalivakkam with MIOT Hospital. These I-girders are also long, unlike the standard 25 metre girders, measuring 33.3 metres, officials said. 'The instability could have been also because of the I-girder length. Shorter spans usually don't cause such issues. Even in the case of the OMR, we had a 30 metre long I-girder and there were no incidents. Here, too, if the steel A-frame holding the I-girders at both points were held tight, the accident would have not occurred. We also suspect there may have been uneven loading on the frame. Only a detailed investigation will reveal the reasons,' another official said. CMRL has begun an extensive safety audit. Wherever the I-girders have been placed, like for instance, in Mount-Poonamallee Road or the IT Corridor, a team of engineers are checking every span. 'We are placing additional rods in between the I-girders and strengthening them with welding yet again at both ends,' he said. CMRL officials also said, the U-girders placed in most parts of the elevated corridor for the phase II project are safe. There are also safety officers who periodically check each site, they said. In a statement, the CMRL said: 'Subsequent to the unfortunate incident involving the collapse of the two I-girders at Manapakkam, resulting in the demise of Mr Ramesh from Nagercoil, Chennai Metro Rail Limited has provided an immediate ex-gratia compensation of Rs 5 lakhs to the bereaved family. In addition, the contractor Larsen and Toubro (L&T) has extended a compensation of Rs 20 lakhs to the family. An enquiry has been constituted to investigate the incident.' Sources said, locations like Saligramam should be checked and also the weights installed for overhead equipment on Arcot Road lack encasing in some of the locations and needs to be addressed to avoid any more accidents. 'If the safety officers really did periodical checks, then, one life wouldn't have been lost. They have been careless,' a source said. One of the commuters R K Ravichandran, a resident of Iyyapanthangal who frequently travels via Arcot Road and Mount - Poonamallee Road said, there are times he has feared about the Metro Rail structures above and if it could fall. 'It was scary to hear what happened last night. When CMRL is carrying out construction, they should step up safety and make that the priority,' he said.
The Hindu
12-06-2025
- The Hindu
Review of Perumal Murugan's Students Etched in Memory
The essays in Perumal Murugan's Students Etched in Memory(translated from the Tamil by V. Iswarya) first appeared in 2017 as part of a weekly column in theVetrikodi supplement of theHindu Tamil Thisai. Contrary to the meaning of Vetrikodi (flag of victory), Murugan's stories about the students he taught during his three decades as a government college Tamil teacher in Attur weren't always success stories. 'As a teacher, my attention is not always on those who have done well,' writes Murugan and we warm up to him instantly. The side most people know of Murugan is the writerly one but follow his work closely and you will see that this self is firmly rooted in his experiential world. As a free thinker who has taught Tamil to first generation learners in rural India, Murugan comes face-to-face with an educational system choked by an oppressive and feudal worldview, caste-class inequities, and outmoded pedagogical practices. Young heroes The essays in this book, ably translated by Iswarya, are heart-warming, poignant sketches of Murugan's students. Through his stories of their exploits, a picture emerges of Murugan himself, of a teacher who is warm, generous, compassionate and thoughtful. Murugan holds that the work of a teacher does not end with the classroom but rather, that it must extend even to the inner lives of students. He is a teacher who is constantly learning how to be one. There is not a trace of self-consciousness or self-glorification in the essays. Murugan tells it like it is. This is what makes the book such a wonderfully engaging memoir. Reading the essays is an immersive experience and we meet some of Murugan's most interesting students. The list is long: Maanvizhi, a female student who decides to stand for student union elections but is forced to back out; the brilliant Kalaichelvi who presents a critical paper on theMahabharataand ends up earning the wrath of a professor for being too bold; Sudhakar who lives in Murugan's house for some time and loves to cook; Kumaresan who, prompted by Murugan, starts reading fiction; Prabhu with his quirky haircut; Chinnadurai the amazing performer who sings anopparaias part of a college competition; ruffian Ramu who turns out to be a poet and a talented kabbadi player; Rasu who has a green thumb; the mischievous Rajkumar who ultimately pipes down; Jhansi who knits a beanie for Murugan's daughter; Sarala who ends up as a policewoman in Valparai; the handsome Balamurugan who ultimately commits suicide because of failure in love; the dynamic Venkatachalam who is the joint secretary of the literary forum; the outlier Prabhakaran and his gang whom Murugan eventually wins over; Nandakumar who insists on prostrating before Murugan; Suresh from Javvadhu hills who has political ambitions; the hair-flipping Silambarasan; cycle Soosai; parotta master Gopalakrishnan; Koushik, the barber who cuts Murugan's hair when the latter is under house arrest; and research scholar Seenivasan whom Murugan mentors. The tyranny of English Through his finely etched portraits, Murugan raises some fundamental and difficult questions. How does one teach and learn in an environment which is deeply feudal, so much so that students and their parents hesitate to sit in the presence of professors? How does one respond to class inequality and income inequities? (Many of Murugan's students work day jobs to support themselves and their families.) What work-arounds can one employ in the face of outdated curricula and pedagogical methods? How does one replace the old system of disciplining and punishing students with a new one based on respect and love? Murugan draws our attention to the tyranny that is English when it comes to first generation learners from rural, small town Tamil Nadu. He recounts stories of students who clear all their papers but are held back only on account of the English paper. He also writes of the difficulty he faces when it comes to female students. Unlike in the case of male students, Murugan must keep a distance from them because of social dictates and so cannot mentor them to the extent he would like to. He also critiques the corrupt practice of research students buying their degrees. Making learning contemporary Murugan argues that while students need to be introduced to ancient Tamil writings, they should primarily be exposed to writings that engage with our own times and in ways that are accessible to them. He is happy, he writes, to share soft copies of reading materials over WhatsApp so that his students have easy access to them. His vision is that of an environment where students feel free to ask questions, where their individual talents are encouraged. He stresses the importance of skill training and practical exposure. At one point, Murugan reflects on how the privilege he enjoys of a government job and a steady income results in his rebuking a parent who, unable to afford the college fee of ₹600, delays his son's enrolment. Equally engaging are his reflections on the importance of fashion and romance in the lives of his students and the importance of preserving their innate joy and exuberance. What I found especially striking about these essays is the fact that Murugan narrates both 'success' stories as well as 'tragic' stories and stories of 'failure'. ReadingStudents Etched in Memoryis an exercise in understanding the nature of privilege and how this plays out in the field of education. Fiesty, quirky, courageous and resilient, the young people in Murugan's portraits shine with their own light. He dreams of a future for Chinnadurai in theatre but sadly, the latter ends up with arrears in English, drops out of college, takes up wage labour, gets married starts to works in a Tasmac shop. The ruffian poet-kabbadi player Ramu who is a young father and works in a yam mill at night, ends up bedridden thanks to an accident. Had there been a sports instructor in college, laments Murugan, Ramu could have landed a job under the sports persons' quota. Perhaps the most poignant of all is the story of handsome Balamurugan who works shifts at a spinning mill, falls in love with a fellow mill worker, breaks up with her because of caste differences and commits suicide by consuming pesticide. Murugan feels guilty for having ignored Balamurugan's inner life. The 'success' stories are just as fascinating and Murugan finds great pleasure in his students' happiness. Nandakumar passes four English exam arrears in one go and eventually goes on to doing a PhD. Suresh is unable to fulfil his dream of entering politics but lands a government job. Parotta master Gopalakrishnan becomes a Tamil teacher and research scholar Seenivasan follows Murugan's advice that he do original research. For Murugan, his students' love is his greatest treasure. Their offerings range from help rendered by a student turned policeman to gifts of vegetables and extra naan and chicken curry in a parceled meal by other students. The translator has wisely chosen not to italicise the Tamil words in the text and to use a more intuitive spelling rather than a scholarly one when it comes to names of individuals and places. She has also clearly retained the lucidity and the simplicity of Murugan's voice. Students Etched in Memory Perumal Murugan, translated by V. Iswarya Hamish Hamilton ₹599 The reviewer is a poet, translator and academic; her forthcoming work is a book of poems, Footnotes to the Mahabharata
