Be it chemical liquid leaking out of toilets, foam oozing from meter boxes, blockage in the sewer pipeline, or cracks developing on walls, Chennai Metro Rail’s underground construction work for the Phase II Project has wreaked havoc in the homes of Mandaveli residents, angering them.
For the ₹61,843-crore Phase II Project, Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) has been carrying out tunnelling in multiple locations across the city, including Mandaveli. The corridor 3 of the phase II project starts in Madhavaram and passes through many areas, including Perambur, Purasawalkam, Nungambakkam, Thirumayilai, Mandaveli, and Adyar, and ends in SIPCOT.
Since corridor 3 is a combination of underground (Madhavaram to Taramani) and elevated (Taramani to SIPCOT) stretches, the tunnelling and station construction work for the underground portions is under way. Residents of Raja Street in Mandaveli have being facing issues because of this since February. While the sewer pipeline was blocked last month, cracks have started emerging on the walls of a few houses this month.
K. Ashok Kumar, a resident of the locality, said the incidents had caused anxiousness among residents. “Initially, the drainage was blocked. The contractor fixed it within two days. Later, the borewell closed up and a new one had to be dug, but sewage had mixed with the drinking water. More recently, foam oozed out of meter boxes. While the officials do respond and resolve the problems, there is no denying that this has caused a lot of inconvenience for us,” he said. Residents do not know what to expect when the construction begins proper and fear that it may affect the foundation of the buildings, he added.
Kripa Sankar, another resident of the street, said a chemical liquid (resembling cement) leaked out of his toilet, but was later repaired. The walls of his house had developed a few cracks due to the construction work. “We also constantly hear noises when the work is on, and when this occurs at night, we cannot sleep peacefully. After the recent accident at the pub in Nandanam, I fear the ongoing work may cause something similar here too,” he added.
Ganga Sridhar, a committee member of the Mandaveli Raja Street Residents’ Welfare Association, said the main problem was that the residents had been kept in the dark about the possible consequences of the underground work. “When such problems have already occurred during the construction of the Phase I Project, shouldn’t the authorities be more careful at least now?” she said.
According to officials of CMRL, the foam leaks happened due to a tiny air path created in the soil during maintenance work carried out for the tunnel boring machine (TBM). They said measures had been taken to control the leaks. “Some buildings have developed minor cracks, not structural ones. However, the contractor will rectify them with concurrence from the building owners,” an official said. To avoid such cracks, preventive measures, such as shallow depth grouting for the building foundation and compensation grouting from inside the tunnel, will be taken, officials said.
