Traffic on the IT corridor was affected for more than two hours on Monday after more than 500 residents staged a road roko on Taramani 100-feet Road protesting the lack of water supply in the neighbourhood over the past three months.
According to Metrowater, the underground water pipeline in the area was damaged during ongoing work on a channel that would discharge excess rainwater from Velachery lake into south Buckingham Canal.
That could be the reason behind the disrupted water supply in the Taramani neighbourhood, an official said.
Around 9 a.m. on Monday, hundreds of residents from Thanthai Periyar Nagar in Taramani blocked the stretch demanding immediate restoration of water supply. For the past three months, taps have remained dry in more than 2,000 households in the residential neighbourhood.
“Roadside taps too have been dry for the past few months. We are not even supplied tanker-lorry water by Metrowater,” said S. Kumar, a resident.
On Monday, the IT corridor, dotted with more than 240 software companies, came to a temporary standstill when agitated residents took to the streets to protest. Vehicles were lined up for nearly two kilometres.
The police control room was alerted and a team led by S. Jai Krishna, inspector (law & order), Taramani, reached the spot and tried to pacify the protesters.
But the agitated residents stood their ground. “Most residents are struggling to source water. With schools reopening, water consumption has increased in households,” said K. Devika, a resident.
Soon, Metrowater officials reached the spot and promised the residents the damaged pipeline would be repaired in a couple of days.
Until then, tankers would supply water to the neighbourhood, they said. Only then, did the agitated residents disperse and make way for traffic.
A Metrowater official said huge pits had been dug up to lay a 4.1-km channel for the Rs. 58.15-crore project that is aimed at preventing flooding in Vijaya Nagar and neighbouring areas in Velachery.
The excess water from the Velachery lake will be discharged through the new channel to the south Buckingham canal and then to Adyar river.
