OMR residents want foot overbridges to be repaired

Rust and wear are visible on a steel foot overbridge along OMR in Chennai, where commuters face slippery conditions during the monsoon and heated handrails under the summer sun.
| Photo Credit:
Johan Sathyadas J

It took a whole month for Kalaivani to be able to walk after she hurt her leg, while climbing down the stairs on the foot overbridge (FOB) near PTC Quarters on Rajiv Gandhi Salai. “I thought there was a step there, but there was none. That portion of the step had worn out due to constant use,” she said.

She is not alone in missing a step or walking on dangerous steps. Many residents of the IT Corridor are complaining that the nearly dozen FOBs are damaged and rusted. R. Ramaswamy, a resident of Sholinganallur said that earlier not many people used the facility to cross the road. “But after the CMRL work began, they have no other go but to utilise it. We have taken up the matter with our MLA,” he said.

The steel structure has rusted in many places and the paint is slippery when it rains. “The FOBs do not have any roofing and are open to the sky. The handles therefore are hot to touch in the summer. There is no ramp even at locations where people climb on the steps,” said S. Suresh, a resident of Thoraipakkam.

FOMRRA co-founder Harsha Koda said that when the OMR was designed there were some 13-14 FOBs placed all along the road. They were placed at locations where there were zebra crossings also available. “But not many people used them. Over time these FOBs became a place for retail drug sales and homeless accomodation. The only real use was the revenue TNRDC, which manages the road, got from selling signage space,” he said.

When Chennai Metrorail started construction, a few FOBs were removed. “We were told that they would integrate the FOBs with the stations and ensure they were well maintained. This remains to be seen. Hopefully they will be installed at high density locations like near schools, colleges and offices,” he added.