The work to alleviate flooding in Velachery had only added to the woes of inundation in Dr. Vikram Sarabhai Instronics Estate on Rajiv Gandhi Salai, manufacturers complained.
The incomplete and time-consuming work to construct a channel from Velachery lake to South Buckingham canal often lead to flooding in the estate even after a brief spell of rain, they said.
The project to construct a 4.1-km-long channel to carry surplus water of Velachery lake along Velachery Bypass Road and Taramani Link Road is being implemented by the Water Resources Department at a cost of Rs. 58.15 crore.
However, the work, funded under Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission, had been often hitting road blocks for various issues, such as shifting of utility lines and tackling rocky terrain, the manufacturers said.
It had missed many deadlines over the past five years, they added.
For several months, the concrete channel waiting to be linked to the South Buckingham canal, as a portion of the Rajiv Gandhi Salai, had to be cut to carry out the work.
As the work had been left incomplete near the Dr. VSI Estate, the floodwater from other parts of Velachery flowed into the Estate, manufacturers complained.
S. Loganathan, secretary, the Dr. VSI Estate Manufacturers Association said, “We are facing this issue for the past four years. Most of the 100 units were covered under three feet of water, even during the recent spell, due to the incomplete channel at the junction of Velachery Main Road — Rajiv Gandhi Salai, near SRP Tools. The stormwater drain network does not have the capacity to carry the huge volume of flood water that flows from the incomplete channel.”
Members of the association noted that they had represented the issue to various departments and the Chief Minister’s special cell seeking a speedy execution of the project.
The Estate, which was established in 1972, now has electronics manufacturing units and IT firms.
Meanwhile, the WRD is awaiting permission from the police to construct a portion of the channel across a portion of Rajiv Gandhi Salai and link flood water to South Buckingham canal.
The work is expected to resume by early next year after the monsoon.
“Only four per cent of the work is remaining to be completed. Besides the 100-metre stretch in the Velachery Main Road — Rajiv Gandhi Salai junction, a portion of the channel has to be constructed near Vijay Nagar bus terminus for 100 metres. Once the permission is provided, work would be completed in two months. Measures would be initiated to protect Dr. VSI Estate from further flooding,” an official said.
