CHENNAI: Residents of Chrompet and Pallavaram were taken aback when they saw a JCB mowing down a grill fencing below four prime rail overbridges in their locality. They said though these fences had negligible wear and tear and were in a good condition without rusting or any major damage, they were being unnecessarily replaced with a set of new fences. But officials refuted such claims and said they were replacing them as these were damaged.
“By taking up new projects which disturb existing structures which are in a good shape, they try to siphon off money. There are many pavements which are broken and cannot be used at all. There are several encroachments under bridges. But all these issues are ignored,” said David Manohar, resident of Pallavaram and activist from Arappor Iyakkam.
Construction work began three months ago under five such bridges located in Chrompet, Pallavaram and Madhavaram. As these bridges are located on the state Highways, the space underneath is maintained by the department. To replace the grill fencing which runs along each side under these five bridges, `2 crore was allocated, said officials.
Dismissing claims of local residents, officials from the State Highways department told Express that speeding vehicles had caused damage to the brick structure which supported these grills. “These structures are in place as a safety measure. This is why we wanted to replace the old grills with new ones with a strong cement foundation,” said an official.