Singaperumal Koil residents want work on overbridge expedited

The success of Mahindra World City and Oragadam has resulted in the mushrooming of thousands of residential colonies along GST Road, from Perungalathur to Chengalpattu.

Singaperumal Koil, located along GST Road, has a large residential population that finds it difficult to access the Oragadam Industrial Corridor because of the delay in the construction of the railway overbridge (ROB) linking GST Road and the corridor.

R. Umashankar, a resident of Srivari Nagar, Singaperumal Koil, said thousands of vehicles bound for Oragadam and vice versa have to go through the level crossing located near the Singaperumal Koil railway station to access Wallajabad Road.

During peak hours, a large number of vehicles stretching for more than a kilometre wait on both sides of the level crossing, which remains closed most of the time because of the operation of a large number of suburban and long-distance trains. Mr. Umashankar, who works in a private company in Oragadam, wants the State government to speed up the ROB, which has been under construction for over five years.

The residents complained that as the level crossing gets crowded, a large number of motorists have to take a long detour through the Samiar Madam level crossing gate in Maraimalai Nagar to proceed to Oragadam, resulting in a waste of fuel and time.

Sources in the Highways Department said that the National Highways Authority of India had granted NOC for the project.

A portion of the work has been completed at LC-47 at Singaperumal Koil. “Since it is now proposed to be integrated with the Peripheral Road, we have written to the State government. As GST Road will be 8 lanes wide, the rotary over it and the rest of the flyover too will be widened accordingly. Land acquisition will be required,” an official explained.

THE HINDU