Though dotted with several government buildings, including the Ripon Buildings and the Chennai Police Commissioner’s office, the Egmore constituency, according to residents, is beset with the problems of traffic congestion, a rising slum population and slackness in regulating building violations.
The constituency, which consists of Choolai, Chetpet, Egmore, Purasawalkam, Pulianthope, Periamet and Vepery, has residents who represent a cross section.
In many of the localities in the constituency, there are both high-income groups and economically backward people.
Thanks to the commercial establishments and textile showrooms on Purasawalkam High Road, the region is known for shopping.
There is a flip side to this success story.
M. Sundar, a resident of Thandavan Street in Purasawalkam, said the growth of Tana Street and Puraswalkam High Road into a commercial hub had resulted in the increase in the number of vehicles in this area, causing traffic snarls. Moreover, vehicles are parked on narrow street roads, aggravating the traffic problem.
Similarly, the residents of Choolai, Pulianthope and Periamet suffer from inadequate drinking water facility, a low voltage problem and poor sanitation.
The residents of Purasawalkam, Vepery and Egmore alleged that the lack of strict enforcement of building norms by the officials of Chennai Corporation had resulted in rampant deviations at commercial and individual buildings.
M. Arun, a resident of Sundaram Street in Purasawalkam, complained about rampant building development on side streets which exerted pressure on already limited resources, especially power and water.
He said residents of several streets had been suffering from the problem of sewage overflows.
The constituency is expected to see an interesting fight between the two Dravidian majors, AIADMK and DMK.
Parithi Ilamvazuthi, once a prominent face of the DMK party, who has gone over to the AIADMK would be taking on little-known DMK candidate K.S. Ravichandran.
Mr. Ilamvazuthi had won from the Egmore constituency five times representing the DMK from 1989 till he was defeated by K. Nallathambi of DMDK (which was part of the AIADMK coalition) in 2011.
Increase in the number of vehicles in Purasawalkam has been causing traffic snarls
