Anna Salai stretch turns food court | Chennai News

Chennai: The broadest stretch of Anna Salai between Higginbothams and Tarapore Towers is also the messiest stretch. Big eateries have taken over three-fourths of the roads to park vehicles of their customers, leaving just a single track for buses, cars, autorickshaws and two-wheelers to drive through. The menace continues unhindered day and night, as traffic police and GCC officials turn a blind eye.“At least 1,000 people on bikes and in cars visit Mount Road Bilal, Sangam, and Buhari post-midnight. Traffic police stand idle. No vehicles should be allowed to park in front of hotels,” said A Krishna Kumar, member of a Royapettah Residents’ Welfare Association. While things are bad during the day, it gets worse from 10.30pm when about 50 hawkers line up for about 500m vending soups, ice creams, biriyani, and parotta, turning the stretch into an unofficial food street. There are often traffic snarls until 2am. Greater Chennai Corporation officials said pavements near Bilal have not been included in the vending zone list. “The issue has been moved to the commissioner, and strict action will be taken to remove hawkers from non-vending zones next week,” an official said.“After crossing Higginbothams, the only U-turn is near Bilal, but the 500m distance feels like 5km. Half the lane is blocked, and vehicles move at a snail’s pace. It is very unsafe,” said M Kumaran of Royapettah. The situation worsens near GP Road too, where vehicles parked for repairs continue to stay on the road on both sides. “All Broadway-bound buses pass through here, and every time one stops, vehicles behind pile up,” said S Karthik Kumar from Thousand Lights.Attempts to reach deputy commissioner of police (traffic, East) Megalina Iden went unanswered.