Ward 157 comprises the former Manapakkam suburban village panchayat of St. Thomas Mount Block.
The merger with the Corporation led to an escalation of land value and the Greater Chennai Corporation is in the process of setting up an underground drainage network for the area. Despite the locality becoming a major realty hub the past decade and a half and new roads in place to welcome visitors to Manapakkam and surrounding areas, the old problem of burgeonings traffic and inundation of houses on the street still needs to be attended to by the administration.
Marvel River View County Owners Welfare Association member P.R. Vijayakumar said that advantages of merger with the Corporation were still not being entirely enjoyed by residents due to a variety of reasons.
With the underground drainage system not in place, despite the promises of elected representatives, the area was severely affected by inundation during the 2015 floods. Many residents of houses by the streets lost their household items and those living in flats were affected too.
While the Corporation has been taking several steps to prevent rainwater stagnation, including construction of stormwater drains and increasing the height of the roads, residents are unsure if the problem will be resolved. Residents also noted that the raising of the height of roads could lead to increased flooding of old house that are located by the street.
Subramani, a trader on Mugalivakkam Main Road, noted that the merger of the area with the Corporation had brought about significant improvements with respect to the state of roads, streetlights and name boards on stretches. However, the residents wanted Metrowater to ensure daily supply of water.
Many residents complained about the delay in the completion of additional stormwater drain facilities in the ward and in ward 156, which was leading to road blocks at many places.
A legal battle is also on in the National Green Tribunal over the issue of alleged encroachment of some land by the Airports Authority of India.
However, Corporation officials maintained that they had given preference for construction of stormwater drains and water mains. The area has five parks and work on two more was under way, officials said.
