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| Anna Salai Road beside Consulate |
Chennai: Shine or Rain, hundreds line up outside the US consulate every morning for visa interviews. And with applicants queuing up on the foot-path, pedestrians end up having to walk on the road and motorists find the stretch hard to navigate.
"The road outside the consulate is very narrow. As the pavement is full of people waiting to enter the consulate, we have to walk on the road, " says college student Uma Shankar, who passes the consulate to get to Cathedral road every morning.
"As the consulate is situated at the point where Anna Salai meets Cathe-dral road, there is heavy traffic and appropriate steps have to be taken to ensure that there is adequate space for pedestrians on the footpath,"
To provide space for both pedestrians and applicants, the corporation is working to expand the footpath along Anna Salai at a cost of Rs18.8 lakh. But little is being done to address the need for a proper waiting area for those who accom-pany applicants and candidates who arrive early.
"For security reasons, only applicants are allowed inside the consulate. Family members and friends choose to wait under a nearby tree," which proc-esses about 1,000 applications a day. "Applicants only need to arrive 15 minutes before their appointment. There is no need for them to reach the venue in advance."
However, many come from other cities or towns and so waiting under the tree is the only option. The crowd often spills over on the busy Anna Salai.
Pedestrians and motorists who use the road regularly say they have also been questioned by the guards for slowing down while passing the consulate. "The footpath outside the US consulate is public property and the consu-late cannot stop pedestrians from using it," says Cheran.
The consulate chooses to blame their behaviour on the ongoing construc-tion work. "Our guards are instructed to make every effort to ensure visa applicants and pedestrians are kept safe. The construction has sometimes made this more challenging, so we look forward to the completed sidewalk and improved pedestrian space," the consul general says.
"The road outside the consulate is very narrow. As the pavement is full of people waiting to enter the consulate, we have to walk on the road, " says college student Uma Shankar, who passes the consulate to get to Cathedral road every morning.
"As the consulate is situated at the point where Anna Salai meets Cathe-dral road, there is heavy traffic and appropriate steps have to be taken to ensure that there is adequate space for pedestrians on the footpath,"
To provide space for both pedestrians and applicants, the corporation is working to expand the footpath along Anna Salai at a cost of Rs18.8 lakh. But little is being done to address the need for a proper waiting area for those who accom-pany applicants and candidates who arrive early.
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| Early hours - US Consulate Road |
However, many come from other cities or towns and so waiting under the tree is the only option. The crowd often spills over on the busy Anna Salai.
Pedestrians and motorists who use the road regularly say they have also been questioned by the guards for slowing down while passing the consulate. "The footpath outside the US consulate is public property and the consu-late cannot stop pedestrians from using it," says Cheran.
The consulate chooses to blame their behaviour on the ongoing construc-tion work. "Our guards are instructed to make every effort to ensure visa applicants and pedestrians are kept safe. The construction has sometimes made this more challenging, so we look forward to the completed sidewalk and improved pedestrian space," the consul general says.
