Chennai: Sudden closure of Manickam Nagar subway in Thiruvottiyur for maintenance has disrupted the daily commute of more than 50,000 residents. Locals, who have depended on the underpass for more than four decades, are urging authorities to expedite repairs and reopen it at the earliest, especially with schools set to reopen next week.Though not used by heavy vehicles, the subway is a critical link for two-wheelers in North Chennai. It has frequently flooded during the monsoon, prompting civic authorities to begin long-pending maintenance work.“Already, two railway subways are closed for maintenance. The Manickam Nagar subway was shut without any prior information. Many school students rely on this route, and now we are forced to travel three to five kilometres to reach Ambedkar Nagar, which was earlier just a kilometre away,” said A Arumairaj, a resident of Tiruvottiyur.Residents complain that the work has only just begun and is progressing slowly. The prolonged closure, they say, will cause serious inconvenience unless the department ramps up manpower. K Karthik, AIADMK councillor of Ward 7, said, “If adequate workers are deployed, the job can be completed within a week. It’s a small but vital subway.”He added, “When we asked for a completion date, officials said it could take 15 to 30 days due to labour shortage. We’ve asked them to speed up the work before schools reopen. If not, we’ll stage a protest along with residents.”C Vijay Babu, zonal officer of Tiruvottiyur zone, said the project aims to address the chronic waterlogging in the subway by installing a 100 HP motor to connect it to the Ambedkar Nagar pond. A total of 2 crore has been allocated, and the work is expected to be completed in 10 days.