Chennai: The Rs 96 crore cut-and-cover project announced by Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami last year, that began recently, came to a pause and resumed later. It was initially announced to control the flooding of Chitlappakam by Selaiyur lake.
The work which began earlier came a halt following mixed response from the public. However, the work has commenced now.
Speaking to News Today a resident said, “When we came to know that the project has commenced, we were happy that finally our flooding problems will come to an end. However, we were shocked when we learnt that the canal will go through Chitlapakkam, against the orginal plan. It was supposed to be laid along the Tambaram-Velacheri Main Road.”
To this, officials have stated that it is scientifically not feasible to carry out the activity on that route, as the gradient along the stretch is uneven which would make it difficult for the water to flow freely.
However, locals suspect that the route has been changed as the encroachments in the main road will delay its progress.
The civic move, although has brought cheer to residents of Babu Nagar, those on Pamban Swamigal Salai disapprove of it as they feel that taking the canal through their houses will create unnecessary problems.
According to activist Sunil Jayaraman, “If what the officials say is true, they should have explained it first to the residents and got it approved beforehand. Since they did not do it, it has created unnecessary doubts among the residents. Another major problem is that they say half the work will be done by PWD while the other half will be by the Chitlapakkam Municipality. This will lead to confusion as the alignment may vary. So this confusion should also be sorted out.” Municipality officials were not available to comment on the issue.