25km NH Stretch Stays Dark for Four Years

A 25km stretch from Vandalur to Mahindra City near Paranur has been completely
dark at night for the last four years because the National Highways Authority of
India (NHAI) has not connected the street lights to electricity. This makes the
eight-lane road dangerous for the lakhs of people who use it to travel to south,
west, and central Tamil Nadu.

The NH-45 road is also used daily by employees from Mahindra City and SIPCOT
Oragadam. Due to the darkness, many lorry drivers face accidents. Members of
the state lorry associations recently held a protest at the Singaperumal Koil
junction against NHAI. On Saturday, they even filed a police complaint against
NHAI officials for negligence.

“The stretch is the main exit point from the city for many cars, trucks, and
buses. Because the lighting is so poor, the left lanes cannot be seen clearly.
At junctions like Guduvanchery, Maraimalai Nagar, and S P Koil, it is even more
dangerous as many pedestrians cross the road,” said G. Ganesh, spokesperson for
the Tamil Nadu State Lorry Owners’ Federation.