8 hours ago
Wall Tax Road next in Chennai's clean-up drive: GCC to clear 3km stretch of encroachments; hawkers, garbage, stray cattle among key challenges
CHENNAI: Walking on Wall Tax Road, a key stretch in North Chennai connecting Chennai Central to Basin Bridge, has long been a nightmare for commuters.
With street vendors, homeless families, and uncleared garbage make walking nearly impossible.
Now, the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) has promised a much-needed clean-up of the 3 km stretch under its Call for Action initiative.
The road, which sees heavy footfall due to its proximity to Chennai Central railway station, lacks proper footpath access. Even areas with pavements are either too narrow or completely unusable due to hawkers, junction boxes, and electric poles.
Many shops leave goods on display, use footpaths as parking spots, or advertise on them.
Several hotels on the stretch also encroach on footpaths, adding to the mess.
Under the Call for Action scheme, GCC will select one road at a time and clear all the encroachments, thus making it fit for public use.
Mohammed Rahmathullah, a regular commuter, said, 'There are so many obstacles from people sleeping on the road to garbage. It's hard to walk even a short distance, especially for elderly people and children.'
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by Taboola
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One striking example of poor planning is found right outside the Corporation Girls School. The pavement there has a railing to prevent parking, but the exit is blocked by a portion of the railing and parked rickshaws, making it unusable.
GCC officials said that Wall Tax Road is the next focus area after successful clean-up drives on the Pattinapakkam Loop road. Under the Call for Action program, civic teams clear one road at a time of encroachments, debris, and waste to reclaim public spaces for pedestrians.
The stretch will be cleared of vendors, garbage, and loading activities by parcel companies that use the pavements for unloading goods.
GCC Commissioner J Kumaragurubaran said, 'Cleaning drives are constantly organised around all the zones under GCC. Removing banners and murals at night has been found effective. Likewise, major drives will be organised to remove encroachments and to move vendors to the vending zone after the Town Vending Committee election.'
Avinash, a commuter from Mint, pointed to another issue: 'Cattle roam freely on the road, causing traffic chaos. There is hardly any traffic police presence to manage the situation. Sometimes they even cause accidents.'
According to GCC data, 534 stray cattle were caught by May this year.
