Pavement lining urban forest in Taramani needs attention

The pavement is on a road near Dr. Ambedkar Law College in Chennai is located. Besides, a massive Tangedco cable-laying work is currently going on the other side of the road, increasing the pedestrian footfall on this pavement. These factors compound the danger from the gaping holes.

An expansive Southern Railway-owned space fronting the Taramani MRTS station has been turned into an urban forest and a butterfly forest. Of a massive scale, the exercise promises a dense patch of greenery in the near future when the saplings would sniff their way towards the skies.

An external reality, lying outside these forests, however mars the picture. The pavement lining the urban greening space on one side has dangerous gaps — slabs missing, carted aside or testing the depth of the drain having fallen inside. The pavement conceals a drain system, and peering into a gap one finds a deep collection of water staring back at them. It is well-hoofed pavement, one used by MRTS commuters.

The pavement is on a road where the entrance to Dr. Ambedkar Law College is located. Besides, a massive Tangedco cable-laying work is currently going on the other side of the road, increasing the pedestrian footfall on this pavement. These factors compound the danger from the gaping holes. This pavement is known for its toothless grin, and the issue is as old and worn-out as the pavement itself. From time to time, the pavement has sported these gaps, but now, with an urban forest on the side capturing people’s attention, the odds of a careless pedestrian taking their eyes off the pavement and slipping into a gap have increased.