With the monsoon close at hand, the maintenance of stormwater drains on private roads is a challenge that the city corporation continues to grapple with.
Residents have been urging the civic body to desilt the stormwater drains on objectionable lands, private roads and private property as the failure to do so had exacerbated the effect of last year’s devastating floods. As a case in point, when officials studied the reasons for the flooding at Lakshmipuram in Royapettah, which affected hundreds of residents, they found that a stormwater drain on a private road reportedly owned by a hotel on Dr. Radhakrishnan Salai had not been desilted.
The residents say they have requested the civic body to clean the drain on the private road connecting Lakshmipuram to Dr. Radhakrishnan Salai in Mylapore. The infrastructure of the drain remains intact but the hotel had reportedly prevented residents and officials from cleaning the drain.
“The stormwater inundated our homes last December and we fear a repeat of this scenario if the downpour turns out to be heavy. We requested the officials to desilt the existing drain on the private road. Officials tried to clean the stretch but they were unable to get permission from the hotel,” said a local resident.
The hotel has also put up a banner claiming that the road, measuring 283 feet in length and 18.5 feet in width, is a private land. The patta for the same has been issued by the Tahsildar of Mylapore-Triplicane Taluk.
According to the hotel authorities, the residents were allowed to use the road a few years ago only on humanitarian grounds. "Residents are not permitted now. This is patta land. The Corporation should build a drain on an alternative route," said a hotel employee.
A Corporation official said alternatives to the stormwater drains on such private roads will be explored. The civic body maintains stormwater drains in most of the 471 bus routes and 33,000 interior roads. A compilation of private roads, objectionable lands and private property emerging as bottlenecks to the flow of stormwater is expected to be completed soon.