Walking along MC Road from the cemetery junction in Washermanpet has turned into a daily struggle for pedestrians. Two-wheelers encroaching on footpaths, relentless honking, and dug-up stretches force people, including children, to navigate open holes. Residents say the hardship is due to a Greater Chennai Corporation pedestrian plaza project that has been stalled for past three years. Monegar Choultry Road (MC Road) is a bustling market street in North Chennai, with shops, micro and macro and macro manufacturing units, enterprises and street vendors. The stretch undergoing plaza construction is 1,000m long, extending from cemetery road junction to the BSNL junctions. junction. The project costs 27.3 crore under the World Bank Chennai City Partnership. Upcoming facilities will include artistic lighting, signages, entry nodes, safe crossings, pickup and drop-off bays, an entry arch, a play area for children, and cobblestone walls on the 3m footpath on both sides of the road. "It's taking time because of the deep sewer and stormwater drain work. About 60% of both are completed. Once the underground work is complete, the plaza will open in six months," said Vijay Karthick, site engineer with GCC. With construction underway and two-way traffic amidst a series of parked bikes, communters
