The Water Resources Department (WRD) and National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) are at loggerheads once again. This time, it is over the use of a service lane of the Chennai Bypass Road for a project to transport surplus water of Porur lake.
In a bid to reduce flooding in Porur and surrounding areas, the WRD had taken up a project to define the surplus course of the lake and build a concrete channel to convey excess water to Manapakkam channel. The four-metre-wide channel is being built on the service lane of the Chennai Bypass Road for a distance of nearly one km under the Rs. 44-crore project.
Sources claimed that though WRD had sought permission for the work, there was no response from NHAI. In a similar project at Korattur, permission was denied for construction of a channel. Sources in NHAI said WRD had written a letter and submitted drawings of the project. However, when questioned about alternative routes, the WRD did not respond. Instead, it went ahead with the work and cut the service lane.
After complaining to the police and the district administration, NHAI approached the Madras High Court stating that the work was carried out without due permission. Following this, the court asked the departments to discuss and settle the matter amicably.
NHAI officials said a decision will be taken after the WRD submits a letter on the project. The WRD had not followed the alignment of the proposal.
Officials of the WRD said nearly 60 per cent of the work to construct a channel is over and NHAI has asked to restore the road.
Sources in the WRD said besides rapid urbanisation, the formation of the Chennai Bypass Road too had curtailed the flow of water. The project was delayed for over two years as the department wanted to execute the project without acquiring land.
It may be recalled that WRD and NHAI had disagreed over the alignment of elevated corridor between Chennai port and Maduravoyal along the Cooum river. The project remains incomplete and the issue is in the Supreme Court.
