When K.K.R. Nagar in Madhavaram got new roads, the joy of its residents was short-lived.
In no time, Chennai Metro Water Supply and Sewerage Board (CMWSSB) dug up the newly-laid roads to lay water pipelines. The stretch has now become a potholed dust bowl, causing much inconvenience to residents and motorists.
N.S. Veera Raghavan, a resident of K.K.R. Nagar, in his post on the ‘Friends of Chennai’ website has brought to focus the recurrent lack of communication between officials of various government departments, resulting in duplication of infrastructure development work and wastage of taxpayers’ money.
Mr. Raghavan said the road, which was previously dug up by CMWSSB in 2010 for construction of a drainage network, was re-paved only in July last year after a gap of more than three years.
Even before residents could enjoy motoring on the new road again, the road was dug up to lay water pipelines.
Mr. Raghavan said, “It took more than three years for the road to be repaired and now it has been dug up again. We do not know how many years we’ll have to wait for the Chennai Corporation to pave the stretch again.”
A senior official of the Chennai Corporation said, as installing water pipelines was important infrastructure work which could not be postponed, the road-cut was sanctioned. However, higher charges had been levied for digging up the road, he said.
Road developers and experts said if horizontal directional drilling (HDD) technology had been used for road cuts by the utility agencies, there would be zero damage.
A road contractor of the Chennai Corporation said the laying of a pipeline for aviation turbine fuel, from Kamaraj Port in Ennore to Chennai airport, involved zero damage to the road, thanks to HDD technology. He said if private utility agencies could employ HDD technology, government agencies too could do the same.
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QUOTE
Though the road was earlier dug up for laying a drainage network, residents have not been given sewer connections yet. We hope officials take some remedial action at the earliest -- N.S. Veera Raghavan (Nica id: 162398326), resident of K.K.R. Nagar, Madhavaram
