The Chennai Corporation has warned service providers, including those in the public sector such as Chennai Metrowater, that it would initiate severe action against them if they dig roads without permission.
On Monday, the civic body lodged a police complaint against a private telecom company for digging a portion of Millers Road in Purasawalkam without obtaining permission.
According to Corporation officials, the road, which was relaid four months ago, was dug up for a length of six metres on Sunday night. A complaint has been registered with the Kilpauk police against Airtel manager who was in-charge of the work.
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The civic body permits road cuts only after six months of a road being relaid, an official said. The dug up space on Millers Road was temporarily restored on Monday evening by Corporation workers.
Mayor M.Subramanian said that usually, those who violate norms pertaining to road cuts are warned by zonal level officials. “We decided to take action as the road was recently laid and we have to incur the expenditure of road restoration,” he said.
Sources in the Corporation said Metrowater engineers in north Chennai were also warned against taking up road cuts without permission.
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This year, the Corporation has not permitted road cuts except for emergency works of the service providers. Nearly 1,320 roads, including interior roads, have been taken up for blacktopping across the city under the special roads programme.