Chennai: For residents of Vengadamangalam near Medavakkam, the journey home after sunset is fraught with uncertainty. With at least 10 streetlights along a 2km stretch remaining non-functional for nearly two years, more than 300 families and four private schools in the locality are left in darkness, raising concerns over public safety.The problem is not limited to inconvenience. More than 50 untethered domestic cattle rest on the roads at night, making the poorly lit stretch particularly dangerous for motorists. A couple of weeks ago, S Krishnan and his eight-year-old son were returning to Vengadamangalam from Tambaram when a cow suddenly crossed the Medavakkam-Mambakkam Road. Unable to spot the animal in the darkness, Krishnan applied the brakes suddenly, causing his motorcycle to skid. They escaped with minor injuries.Residents said this was not an isolated incident and that the absence of streetlights had made night travel risky, particularly for women, children and people returning home late.“The non-functional streetlight issue has been brought to the attention of panchayat officials several times, but no lasting action has been taken. We even tried contacting the Chengalpet district collector, but received no response. We want the authorities to repair the streetlights at the earliest,” said Ibrahim Ahmed, a long-time resident.He also said that the individual switches installed to operate the streetlights were faulty in several places, adding to the problem.“Though Vengadamangalam is just a few kilometres from Tambaram corporation, it continues to be under the St Thomas Mount Panchayat Union. The govt has been announcing plans to merge Medavakkam, Vengadamangalam, Sittalapakkam and neighbouring areas with Tambaram corporation for several years. This merger should be carried out at the earliest, as it could help address many of the civic issues faced by residents,” said M Kathiravan, another resident.Despite several attempts, St Thomas Mount block development officers were unavailable for a comment.
