CHENNAI: In what was a news of joy to residents of Madipakkam has now put the same people in hardship. The ongoing culvert work from Vanuvampettai to Madipakkam, which was supposed to ensure the flow of surplus rainwater from five lakes between Tirusulam and Madipakkam has been stalled for over two months now.
This has not only resulted in wastage of rainwater, but also traffic snarls on the Medavakkam High Road as the road has been dug almost by half for the work. “The culvert work began in August and was supposed to be completed in September. The culvert basically connects Madipakkam lake to Kilkattalai. Currently, we already have a way for rainwater to flow from Kilkattalai lake to Pallikarnai Marshland and from Tirusulam Kutcheri hill to Madipakkam.
The project was undertaken in a bid to connect both these pathways so that the water from Tirusulam reaches Pallikarnai marshland when there is excessive rainfall,” said V Subramani, founder of Sabari Green Foundation, NGO for rejuvenation of water bodies. He further added that the project being undertaken by the State Highways Department has been stalled due to an electric pole on the road that the Corporation was supposed to clear.
As the work was brought to halt, the rainwater which was previously flowing into Madipakkam lake has also been blocked. Not only this, it added to the woes of motorists as the width of the road which is 200 metres away from the Kilkattalai bus terminus, has become half its size. “This is also the route that buses take. So in peak hours, buses block the road causing heavy traffic snarls.
There are no alternative roads even to go to Kilkattalai from Madipakkam,” said Krishna Kumar, a motorist. When CE contacted officials from the Electricity Board Department, they said there were monetary issues between EB and Highways. Officials form Highways Department remained tightlipped on the monetary issues and said EB is to be blamed for the delay.