2 months ago
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Beneath the bustling commercialized facade of Chennai’s premier buying hub lies a civic infrastructure that has been struggling to lucifer accelerated urbanisation. We are talking astir Thiyagarayanagar Assembly Constituency, popularly known arsenic T. Nagar.
The constituency includes areas specified arsenic Kodambakkam, Ashok Nagar, West Mambalam, Pondy Bazaar, a information of C.I.T. Nagar, and parts of Vadapalani.
Residents present chiefly constituent to terrible infrastructure bottlenecks caused by rampant commercialisation. Within 2 years of pedestrianisation, T. Nagar has seen a 15% to 20% summation successful commercialized income and up to 20% emergence successful onshore value, according to the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC).
V.S. Jayaraman of the T. Nagar Residents’ Welfare Association (RWA) said, “Plinth levels are rising owed to accelerated urbanisation, unchecked commercialized and residential encroachments proceed to increase. However, the capableness of the sewer and stormwater networks remains the same, starring to predominant overflows.”
Narrow lanes
Many vehicles, including ambulances and occurrence tenders, conflict to navigate constrictive lanes. Further, the recently constructed flyover named aft erstwhile DMK MLA J. Anbazhagan has done small to easiness postulation congestion, helium said.
The multi-level parking installation successful Pondy Bazaar is often non-operational, nether maintenance, oregon successful afloat capacity, portion the pedestrian span is mostly utilised lone by greeting joggers, helium said.
Stating that elected representatives person failed to consistently inspect localities, helium claimed that the erstwhile MLA was much responsive to grievances than the existent elected representative.
V. Kumar, a Pondy Bazaar resident, agrees with this. He alleged that the incumbent DMK MLA has been inactive regarding basal civic works, citing uncleared garbage successful interior lanes, mediocre roads, and the proliferation of posters connected transformers.
Flooding woes
Murali, a nonmigratory of West Mambalam for 75 years, said the large Dravidian parties were responsible, implicit the decades, for unchecked commercialisation and that portion candidates travel and go, the halfway issues stay unresolved, forcing galore long-time residents to relocate.
Muthulakshmi, different West Mambalam resident, said the felling of trees connected Arya Gowda Road for the operation of stormwater drains by the Corporation failed to forestall rainwater from entering homes successful the locality.
“Residents thought determination would beryllium nary inundation, but my location suffered waterlogging all-night, and my two-wheeler was submerged during the December 2023 downpour. The minimal stagnation successful 2025 was solely owed to shortage rainfall,” she said.
Responding to the grievances, sitting MLA J. Karunanithi said the parking issue, chiefly owed to the Metro Rail enactment for the past 2 years has been flagged to the GCC Commissioner for swift resolution. He maintained that wide postulation has reduced owed to a displacement towards online shopping.
To mitigate postulation congestion, the caller flyover has made it casual to question from Saidapet to T. Nagar, Kodambakkam, and Nungambakkam, helium said. One-way postulation adjacent the North Usman Road - Bazulla Road awesome is being planned successful coordination with the Chennai City Traffic Police.
Further, helium said the ₹3 crore yearly Member of Legislative Assembly Constituency Development Scheme (MLACDS) money was utilized for upgrading autobus stands and assemblage halls.
Electoral history
T. Nagar is historically a competitory spot with INC, AIADMK, and DMK winning it.
The 3rd beforehand oregon the parties different than the DMK and the AIADMK person besides played a relation by splitting the votes.
The DMK, contempt the anti-incumbency factor, would beryllium hoping for a successive victory, and the enactment of the campaigner could go important to its chances of retaining the seat.
As the AIADMK secured 3 consecutive victories successful 2006, 2011, and 2016, it would beryllium hoping for a facile victory. In fact, this is the lone country successful Chennai successful which BJP has a councillor, among the 200 wards successful the city.
The introduction of histrion Vijay’s TVK and the decreased fig of voters aft the SIR process could marque the contention tighter.
