CHENNAI: The city corporation council on Friday approved a resolution to impose fines on contractors, service departments, and individuals involved in unauthorised road cutting and delays in completing permitted road works on corporation-maintained roads.
According to the resolution, unauthorised road cutting on bus routes will attract a fine of Rs 2 lakh, while violations on interior roads will be penalised with a fine of Rs 1 lakh. In addition to this, road restoration charges will be levied at three times the normal prescribed rate. Further, any continuation of road cutting work will be permitted only after full payment of the fine, enhanced restoration charges, and after obtaining fresh permission from the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC). The civic body also warned in cases of unauthorised road cutting on bus routes or interior roads, it will lodge a police complaint, and the machinery used for such works will be confiscated.
Delays in authorised road cutting works will also be treated as a violation of permission conditions, the resolution said, adding, in such cases, restoration charges at three times the normal prescribed rate will be imposed, and any resumption of work will be allowed only after payment of the enhanced charges and obtaining renewed permission from the GCC.
The GCC maintains 488 bus route roads spanning 418.56 km and 35,978 interior roads covering 5,653.89 km within its jurisdiction.
The resolution noted unauthorised road cutting – by service departments, utility agencies, optic fibre cable operators, gas pipeline agencies, contractors and private individuals – causes damage to roads, leading to public inconvenience, traffic disruption, safety concerns and repeated restoration or maintenance expenditure.
It further noted that even authorised works are often not completed within the stipulated time, resulting in prolonged road damage, congestion, and additional financial burden.