A group of residents of Sadhanandapuram-Aalapakkam near Tambaram has sought a modification to the plan for the proposed Tambaram East by-pass road project.
In a memorandum submitted to the District Administration on the Monday, they alleged that more than 200 houses in Sadhanandapuram-Aalapakkam coming under Nedunkundram village panchayat in Chengalpattu taluk, would get affected if the government decides to go ahead with the project.
The residents said that the majority of owners of these houses were retired government servants who had invested their money, including retirement benefits in the construction of these houses on the ‘grama natham’ category of lands, which were acquired or bought by their forefathers 60 years before.
Further, when the project was mooted way back in 1984 in order to create a by-pass road to link Selaiyur junction on Tambaram-Velachery Road with the Grand Southern Trunk Road at Perungalathur, there was not much development in Kamaraj Nagar (located on the east of Perungalathur), Sadhanandapuram, Aalapakkam, Puthur and Mappedu hamlets. However, the route of by-pass road was modified at the initial stages itself when it was ascertained that the proposed road would pass through close to the Air Force base at Selaiyur.
Subsequently, in 2007 this proposal was objected by the Kamaraj Nagar residents who made a plea to utilize vacant government poromboke lands in the area for laying the by-pass road instead of disturbing the residential localities.
Their plea was accepted and the by-pass road sketch was modified for the second time, said P. Ilamparithi of Aalapakkam.
Residents of Sadhanandapuram-Aalapakkam made an appeal at a public hearing organized by the Highways officials at Poonamallee two weeks ago and requested that two options be consided for the project.
They suggested that officials could acquire more than 100 acres of vacant government poromboke lands available near the Sadhanandapuram-Aalapakkam to lay the by-pass road; or the 3.2 kilometre of Mappedu-Vengambakkam Road could be upgraded to link the Selaiyur-Camp Road with the Vandalur-Kelambakkam Road.
“If our second suggestion is considered it will help avoid further congestion at Perungalathur,” said S.Varadarajan of Sadhanandapuram.
