Chennai: The monsoon is over and the funding for the monsoon related projects have been stopped in Kancheepuram, forcing contractors to abandon the storm water drain projects and culvert projects in south Chennai and Kancheepuram.
Post-Chennai 2015 floods and Cyclone Vardah in 2016, the state public departments including Public Works department, municipal administration and water supply, state highways and TNRDC worked in tandem to alleviate flooding in Tambaram and Mudichur.
The departments were working under a monitoring committee formed by senior IAS officer P. Amudha and took efforts to clear flooding. But now with the state inching towards summer, the focus has shifted, thus depriving funds, admitted official sources.
“Five contracts were awarded to develop storm water drains and construct culverts connecting the channel to Adyar river, with payments pending the contractors have abandoned the project along the Vandalur – Minjur outer ring road and we were asked to move to another site”, said an employee who was part of the flood alleviation work.
There is every possibility of flooding in Amudham Nagar, Sakthi Nagar, Bhuvaneswhwari Nagar, Madhanapuram and Mudichur but the local bodies are showing no interest in the abandoned projects citing lack of funds, alleged social activist Siva Prakasam.
“We have asked the Mudichur and Vardarajapuram town panchayats to approach the government and the abandoned sites are now serving as a breeding spot for mosquitoes”, said R. Babu of Mudhichur residents welfare association.
When contacted, a senior government official admitted that the projects were hit with the Centre not releasing adequate funds to the disaster-hit areas of TN.
The funds provided by the centre for state disaster management are not even sufficient to execute the interim repair works and most of the funds initially released were used for restoring the electricity board transformers and street lights leaving no money for storm water drains, the official explained. However he said that the projects would soon commence with state funds.
