Damage to civic infrastructure has been reported in various parts of the city owing to lack of coordination between the Greater Chennai Corporation, Metrowater and other line agencies.
Metrowater infrastructure on 50 roads in areas along the Cooum and Adyar has been damaged after the contractors started digging of roads for development of stormwater drains as part of the integrated stormwater drain project funded by the World Bank. Similarly, newly-relaid roads of the Chennai Corporation have been dug up by contractors of Metrowater projects. More than 100 newly laid roads have been dug up in the past few months, officials said. On Tuesday, Thiruvengedam Street in Mandaveli was dug up for Metrowater work. “The road was relaid two months ago,” said an official.
Problems in shifting of utilities of metrowater and other agencies along Alapakkam Main Road have led to a delay in completion of the stormwater drain work. The work on developing a five-metre-wide drain along Vanagaram-Ambattur High Road has been shelved to avoid damage to the newly relaid highway. The stormwater drain has been designed to prevent flooding in Nolambur. Owing to objection from the Highways Department, the drain has been proposed to be constructed in an alternative alignment.
Operation and maintenance charges for 2015-2016 was Rs. 630 crore because of a large number of road cuts in areas such as Alandur, Madhavaram, Perungudi, Sholinganallur and Adyar. Chennai Corporation spent Rs. 179 crore on repairing new roads dug up by Metrowater. The loss caused by damage to civic infrastructure is expected to increase this year, said officials.
Chennai Corporation started work on stormwater drains in Adyar and Cooum basins in the added areas of the city with funding from the World Bank. The work has been delayed in many of such areas after metrowater pipelines were damaged accidentally during digging of roads. Work on stormwater drains have been delayed along a number of highways such as Poonamalle High Road. Officials of the highways department have also voiced concern about traffic congestion because of digging for stormwater drains across arterial stretches.
Many of the works are not likely to be completed ahead of the north east monsoon.
