The Greater Chennai Corporation has warned that it will cancel tenders of contractors who have not started work on the construction of drains and collect a fine from contractors who delay the work.
Following a review meeting by Municipal Administration and Water Supply Secretary Shiv Das Meena, the civic body has ordered contractors to complete the work on the construction of stormwater drains by September 30. Senior officials have been reviewing the project every three days to speed up the work.
Closely monitored
The progress of construction of drains in each of the flood-prone roads has been personally monitored by Commissioner Gagandeep Singh Bedi every three days. As a result, there has been a significant progress in the work with support from other line agencies such as the CMWSSB, the officials said. The Corporation has strengthened monitoring of flood-mitigation projects with the appointment of additional monitoring officers in flood-prone areas, they added.
Following the report by the flood management committee headed by former IAS officer V. Thirupugazh, the Corporation has started desilting Mambalam Canal. The committee had recommended removal of silt along the stretch of Mambalam Canal to mitigate flooding in areas such as T. Nagar.
The Corporation has removed 467 tonnes of silt along 2.5 km of the canal which covers 5.6 km. The canal connects Nungambakkam with the Adyar river, passing through flood-prone areas such as T. Nagar and Saidapet.
At the meeting on Saturday, Mr. Shiv Das Meena directed the civic officials to identify local issues during construction of the drains, particularly the pruning of trees along the drain alignment. Contractors have been advised to ensure safety of the public along the stretches. Contractors have been advised to focus on proper construction of the silt catch pit along the drains, officials said.
