CHENNAI : The Greater Chennai Corporation is planning to construct a skywalk to connect Mambalam railway station and T Nagar bus stand at an estimated cost of `20 crore. But, residents of Mambalam rue that the area lacks even basic facilities like proper roads and stormwater drains (SWD).
“Motilal Street in T Nagar houses more than 100 families. While the individual houses in the area have been in existence for around four decades, the residential complexes were built over three decades ago. When these houses were built, the road level was four feet below the ground level of the residences.
Over a period of time, in the name of re-laying the road without milling, the civic body has laid the road over and above the surface. The level of the road here has gone to such a height that even after little rain, the water flows into the nearby areas,” Jayaram Sivaram from the T Nagar Resident Welfare Association who wrote to the City Express. He further added that the construction of SWDs has not been of any help as they remain dysfunctional choked with tons of garbage.
The plight is alike in almost all areas in T Nagar. Residents also said that the method of desilting is not proper as the workers only empty the piled-up muck in the manhole chamber and not between the drains.
“Due to this, rainwater also enters metro water sewage drains, ultimately causing overflow. The sewage later enters wells and sumps pollution underground water,” said P Velayutham, a resident of T Nagar.
Adding to the woes are electricity metres installed on the ground floor of the residential buildings where water is inundated at the time of rains. Residents demand immediate action.When contacted, a Corporation official said the de-silting is being done area wise and promised that soon the drains in these areas would also be desilt.
The problem
“Over a period of time, in the name of re-laying the road in Motilal Sreet without milling, the civic body has laid the road over and above the surface. The level of the road here has gone to such a height that even after little rain, the water flows into the nearby area,” says Jayaram Sivaram from the T Nagar Resident Welfare Association who wrote to CE. Other issues include overflow in storm water drains, and improper desilting methods.