Work to lay sewer pipelines in Uthandi, one of the long-pending demands in the area, is progressing at a good pace. However, residents seek better coordination between government agencies since roads are also being laid simultaneously.
While residents of VGP Layout, Uthandi, welcomed the efforts to construct a comprehensive water and sewer pipeline in the locality, they fear that the overlap between this project and the ongoing road laying work will ultimately end up inconveniencing them.
S.K. Ram, a resident of Uthandi, said of the nearly 38 streets in the area, nearly 14 had been blacktopped so far. However, some of them such as Vaigai Street, Amritha Street, and Nila Street were yet to be get a sewer network, and in a few days, the freshly laid roads would be dug up to lay the pipelines, he added.
Members of the Society of Liberals Valuing Environment (SOLVE), a residents’ welfare society in Uthandi, said the roads were being laid hastily without cold milling and road level had gone up by up to 1 ft. They also raised concerns about the substandard quality of the newly laid roads.
Noting that roads in Panaiyur were laid after the sewer project was completed, residents demanded coordination between the Greater Chennai Corporation and the Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (CMWSSB) to avoid wastage of funds and efforts.
The water agency is carrying out nearly 23 underground drainage projects in various parts of the city to the tune of ₹2,721.67 crore, which is estimated to benefit nearly 9.19 lakh people. The network in various areas along East Coast Road will be linked to a common sewage treatment plant in Sholinganallur.
Menaga Shankar, Councillor of ward 197, said the issue of improving the quality of roads and need for cold milling in places such as Nainarkuppam and Uthandi and need for better coordination between government departments when starting water and sewerage projects were already discussed in the Corporation Council and zone meetings. The entire road should not be dug up to carry out sewerage works, she said, and added: “I will coordinate with the residents to address the problem.”
