294 roads to be relaid before NE monsoon
65 per cent work is done, remainig to be done by month-end.
Chennai: Cash starved Chennai Corporation is now racing against time and plans to relay 294 arterial roads in Chennai ahead of monsoon. The civic body also kickstarted the construction of new stormwater drains worth Rs 1.65 crore aimed at reduce flooding in Ambattur and western suburbs.
“The corporation is now on tender floating spree to establish new parks, widen and desilt existing storm water drains and to relay city roads. We have completed 65 per cent of stormwater drain works planned for the year and another 30 per cent will be completed by the end of August,” a senior corporation official told DC.
Earlier in the day, a high level meeting chaired by Chennai mayor Saidai S. Duraisamy and corporation commissioner D. Karthickeyan discussed the ongoing major stormwater drain works in Padi, Annai Sathya Nagar, Korattur and Ambattur estate taken up at a cost of Rs 5.6 crore and also enquired about the hydrology flow of stormwater channels connecting Otteri Nullah.
“Areas that suffered floods during last December have been earmarked and the same is reported to city corporation. Stormwater drain works to a tune of Rs 7 crore are taken up for Perambur, Thiruvi Ka Nagar and adjoining areas,” said Perambur legislator P. Vettrivel, who also attended the pre-monsoon meeting on Monday.
Executive engineers have been appointed as nodal officers for relaying interior and arterial roads and deadlines have been fixed and tender are floated in areas where Chennai metro water has taken up road cut works, a corporation engineer said adding that tender bulletins issued by the corporation now focuses more on road relaying and box type stormwater drain works, he added.