CHENNAI: The construction of bunds along the Cooum in the seven-kilometre stretch from the Napier bridge to the Chetpet railway bridge, is scheduled for completion in December this year, according to PWD officials.
The construction of bunds, along with desilting, demarcating the boundary and fixing boundary stones, has been taken up by the PWD, as a part of 60 restoration activities that are to be completed in phase 1. The projects under the first phase are scheduled to be completed within a maximum of three years.
“The river runs along the road which makes the construction of bunds, an important aspect to prevent encroachments. As of now, there is no stretch that is completely finished since work has been taken up simultaneously in the entire stretch,” said a PWD official.
But this does not mean that the City Corporation would be forced to wait before taking up its part of the restoration project along the Cooum, the official said. For its part, the civic body is carrying out development of parks, cycle tracks and jogging/walking tracks along with solid waste removal.
A nature trail park is to come up between the College road bridge and the Munroe bridge in Mc Nichols road at Harrington road- Valluvar Kottam high road junction at an estimated cost of `9.8 crore.
Also, four other parks are to come up as part of the integrated Cooum river eco restoration plan between Napier bridge and Periyar bridge, Munroe bridge and Chetpet railway bridge, CC bridge and College road bridge, and Golden George Rathinam Salai bridge.