Chennai: Concerned over the increasing instances of roads being re-laid, without taking into consideration, the houses on the respective stretches, a resident decided to take matters into her own hands.
Dr M Vijaya of Kandasamy Nagar, Palavakkam, has petitioned the Chief Minister’s cell and other authorities, regarding this issue, thereby eliciting a positive response from them.
Vijaya, who is also the Executive Director (TN) of All India Council of Human Rights, Liberties and Social Justice – a member and authorised signatory of United Nations Global Compact, said, “I sent a petition in January, 2019, to the Chief Minister’s Special Cell and to few authorities of the Corporation.”
“I explained about the difficulties faced by residents of our locality, due to increasing heights of the roads and therefore requested milling to be done before any further re-laying. In the following months, I received a response from the Zonal Office assuring that appropriate procedure will be practised, and that the height will not be increased in Kamarajar Salai and ten other streets of Kandasamy Nagar.”
About her neighbourhood, she said, “Any house newly-built will be at least a few feet higher than the road-level. But, after a few decades, with the repeated re-laying, the road becomes way higher than that of the house. During the rainy season, water from the roads, drains inside the compounds of all homes, resulting in material loss, vulnerabilities to infections and possibilities of electrocution.”
“Subsequently, we are forced to renovate certain parts of the home, which is an unnecessary expense,” she concluded.