Chennai: Whenever the city gets heavy rain, the causeway over Adyar river at Ekkaduthangal is closed. During the 2015 floods, the water ran over the causeway as the pipes below were choked with waste.
Soon after that a demand was raised to do away with the causeway as it blocked the free flow of water. After a series of consultations, the authorities have jumped into work by carrying out demolition work since Monday.
An official from the State Highways Department said, “At every meeting after the flood, the causeway issue would crop up and there would be some differences of opinion on it. During the meeting last month to oversee monsoon preparedness, it was decided to demolish the causeway. The meeting was attended by officials from the Corporation, Metrowater, TANGEDCO and Highways. It will take another two weeks to complete the demolition process.”
Metrowater will soon make arrangements to shift its water pipes along the causeway. Similarly, the cables are also being removed.
Residents living adjacent to the causeway have welcomed the move. “It has been a death trap for many. Motorists have fallen into the river due to the lack of railings. Also, there is no streetlight. It is good to see that the work is being taken up to prevent flooding,’ said M Venkatraman, a resident of Thirunagar.
‘During every flood, the causeway would get damaged because it is right across the Adyar river at a lower level than the road on both sides. It practically blocks the flow of the river more or less by 50 per cent either because of te presence of water pipes, pillars or dumping of waste by people and firms. Hence, it is a good move to see that the officials are doing away with the low level causeway once and for all,” said Christopher Thomas, a resident of Vasudevan Nagar.
TRAFFIC PILE U
Ever since the demolition work started, traffic movement has been affected on the stretch. “It takes nearly 20 minutes to travel from 11th Avenue to Ambal Nagar during peak hours due to heavy traffic,” says an office-goer.
When the issue was taken up with K K Nagar traffic inspector S Venkatraj, he said, “It is true that the traffic is piling up on the stretch after the causeway has been closed. It will take another week for motorists to settle down. The causeway can now be used to take a ‘U’ turn for motorists heading to their destinations.”