For the past three years, a simple walk along Monegar Choultry Road (MC Road) in Chennai's Washermanpet area has transformed into a daily obstacle course for residents. A major pedestrian plaza project, intended to beautify and secure the area, has instead created a hazardous environment, leaving citizens to navigate a chaotic maze of encroaching vehicles, relentless honking, and dangerous open trenches.
A Project in Limbo, A Public in Peril
The source of the hardship is the Greater Chennai Corporation's (GCC) pedestrian plaza project, a 27.3 crore initiative funded under the World Bank Chennai City Partnership. The planned 1,000-meter stretch from the cemetery road junction to the BSNL junction was envisioned to include artistic lighting, safe crossings, play areas for children, and upgraded footpaths. However, with the project stalled, the reality on the ground is starkly different.
Pedestrians, including schoolchildren, are forced to walk on the road due to footpaths being either dug up or occupied by parked two-wheelers. "I was so scared. It almost tore a section of my bag," shared a child describing a close encounter with a large excavator navigating the narrow, congested street. The situation is exacerbated by ongoing deep sewer and stormwater drain work, which officials cite as the reason for the delay.
Clashing Perspectives: Officials, Shopkeepers, and Experts
GCC officials maintain that progress is being made. Vijay Karthick, the site engineer, stated that about 60% of the underground sewer and drain work is complete and promised that the plaza would open within six months of finishing this phase. Addressing the parking chaos, G Roselin, GCC assistant executive engineer, claimed that alternative parking space has been provided behind the area, but shopkeepers refuse to use it.
This claim is contested by local business owners. Banumathi A, who owns a shop near the BSNL junction, highlighted the impracticality, asking, "The parking space is 1km away from my shop. How can I park my vehicle there?" This conflict underscores a core implementation gap in the project's planning.
Urban planning experts point to a systemic issue. A V Venugopal, program manager for Healthy Streets & Partnerships at the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP), noted that India lacks centralized guidelines for pedestrian safety. "In Chennai, with roads dug up everywhere, it's high time we come up with designated plans for proper, well-lit pathways free of debris for people to walk," he urged.
The Road Ahead: Promises and Wider Implications
Despite the current chaos, GCC remains optimistic about this and similar projects. R Purushothaman, executive engineer with GCC's Special Projects team, indicated that other pedestrian plazas, including those near Guindy Race Course and Velachery MRTS, are slated for completion within a year.
The ongoing saga on MC Road serves as a critical case study. It highlights the severe disconnect between ambitious urban infrastructure projects and the immediate, day-to-day safety of citizens during their execution. The promised transformation of this bustling North Chennai market street into a safe, vibrant pedestrian zone remains a future hope, while the present continues to be defined by risk and inconvenience for all who walk there.
