Officers Training Academy bridge inundated houses?

Chennai: A foot overbridge across the Adyar constructed by the Officers Training Academy (OTA) has led to inundation of residential colonies in and around Manapakkam here, residents said.

Housing colonies such as L&T Colony, RGL Colony- phase one and IAS and IPS officers’ colony which dot the Adyar river banks, along the Manapakkam-Mugalivakkam road, were inundated after the swollen river’s flow was obstructed by a concrete bridge.

A resident of RGL Colony, Major Anil Menon, who is a retired Army officer, said the bridge was built by OTA to connect Army land located on either side of the river. “We have no idea whether public works department’s nod was obtained for this project. The bridge had obstructed almost 65 per cent of the river’s flow. As a result, the water changed course and flooded our streets and houses,” he said.

An aerial shot of the flooded streets of L&T colony.  (Photo: DC)

After excess from Chembarambakkam lake was diverted to Adyar river, the bridge was washed away and the bund adjoining it completely damaged, he said. Interestingly, the IAS and IPS officers’ colony, where some of the top civil servants of the state reside, was also submerged.

Rajagopal, another resident, said Chennai corporation too had defaulted in its duty by not evicting encroachers from Nandambakkam canal. “There is no stormwater drain. If these encroachments that block the flow of water are not removed,  the situation will be worse next time,” he said.

OTA and defence officials could not be reached for comment. Repeated attempts to contact the defence PRO Shanmugam failed.

When asked to comment, senior corporation officials said their focus area is rescue and distribution of relief materials. “We will sit with PWD officials and other experts to identify such problems and based on the experts’ report, we will initiate action on such structures. But, all that will wait for now,” the official said.

Protest holds up traffic on Whites road
Traffic was held up for nearly an hour on Whites Road here on Thursday as residents of Royapettah staged a demonstration demanding speedy rain relief work. The traffic jam that started  around 10.45 am went on till 11.30 am affecting Royapettah, Triplicane and Thousand Lights motorists. After complaints by commuters, police finally decided to divert traffic on to Anna Salai, temporarily making it a two-way.

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