City roads to be relaid before monsoon

Corporation to spend ₹300 cr. to recarpet 2,000 stretches

Chennai Corporation has received the go-ahead from the State government to begin road relaying work on 2,000 stretches in various parts of the city at a cost of ₹300 crore.

All the roads that have been damaged by line agencies will get a makeover ahead of the northeast monsoon, Corporation officials said.

“The government has given administrative sanction for ₹300 crore for the purpose,” one of them said.

Many of these roads were relaid by the Corporation recently but agencies such as Metrowater, Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation and telecom service providers have dug them up.

According to official estimates, at least 30% of the roads were dug up within a year of them being relaid.

Following complaints from residents of many of the 200 wards, civic officials have urged line agencies not to dig up newly laid roads for at least six months, sources said.

Civic climbdown

A few years ago, the Chennai Corporation enhanced the ‘guarantee period’ of roads developed under the mega city development mission to five years.

Every contractor was supposed to maintain the roads for a five-year period, as per the terms of the agreement.

Even earlier, the Corporation had a ‘guarantee period’ of three years in its contracts.

The civic body even lodged complaints against Tangedco engineers for digging up newly laid roads.

‘Penal provisions’

The rising number of roads that have been dug up in the past few years is evidence of the fact that penal provisions have been diluted, sources said.

Former Corporation Council floor leader V.Sukumar Babu said residents in many neighbourhoods have started requesting the Corporation to recarpet roads that have been dug up. “The work in low-lying areas should be completed before the onset of the northeast monsoon,” he said.